The Runaway Adventures: The Series
by AllegroGiocoso
Summary: Join Lady, Tramp, Annette, Collette, Danielle, Scamp, Angel, Pongo, Perdita, Lucky, Rolly, Cadpig, Patch, Penny, Peg, Puffball, Spunky, Two-Tone, CiCi, Leo, XL, Rebecca, Scavenger, Tripod and Princess in their new adventures! A joint Lady and the Tramp and 101 Dalmatians crossover series by me and XLR8 the Fox.
1. Prologue

**Hi everyone! This is the series that XLR8 the Fox and I are making together of our Lady and the Tramp and 101 Dalmatians crossover universe, The Runaway Adventures! **

**This prologue is a brief summary of the prior events that can be seen more fully in the canon films and the two Runaway Adventures fanfics which come after them. I highly recommend watching/reading them if you haven't or haven't in a while!**

**Please feel free to fav/comment/review or PM if you wish! As always, Lady and the Tramp, 101 Dalmatians, and their universes belong to Disney.**

Prologue – The Runaway Adventures – The Series

On its surface, Park Avenue was just like any other street in town. But within its comforting boundaries was a big family like no other. It consisted of three houses, eight humans, and twenty-four pets, including seven adult dogs, fifteen puppies, a grown cat and a fox kit. And these pets, colloquially referred to as the Runaways, had gotten into so many adventures that their stories became legendary on the Twilight Bark.

Their story all started when Jim Dear and Darling adopted a young puppy named Lady. She grew up loved and pampered in her pets' care. Her life however changed after running away from home, where she met Tramp, a streetdog who wore no man's collar. The two of them opened each other's eyes to their seemingly opposite worlds, and eventually fell in love at a beautiful candlelit dinner. After some misadventures, Tramp decided he couldn't live his life without Lady, and so he joined Lady in living with Jim Dear, Darling, and their baby boy Junior.

Lady and Tramp soon had four pups, Annette, Collette, Danielle and Scamp. Lady and Tramp tried their hardest to be good parents, but they were challenged by their son Scamp, who yearned to be wild and free. Scamp ran away from home, dreaming of being a wild dog, but while on the street, Scamp met Angel, a stray who always wanted a family and to be loved. Like Scamp's parents before them, Scamp and Angel taught each other about friendship and true love, and in the end, Lady, Tramp and their family decided to welcome Angel into their family.

On the other side of the globe, Pongo and Roger Radcliffe lived in a bachelor flat in London. Pongo however dreamed of family life, and his chance came wen he fell in love with a beautiful lady dalmatian named Perdita. Before long, Pongo and Perdita were married, as were Roger and Perdita's pet, Anita. The two dogs soon had a litter of puppies, and soon found their paws full dealing with Cruella De Vil, who wanted to skin their pups as well as many others into fur coats. After going on a crusade to save them, Pongo and Perdita rescued their pups and adopted eighty-four others, and the family, with their live-in maid Nanny moved to a big place in the country they called the dalmatian plantation.

While more than most of the pups could ever dream of, peacefully wiling their days in the country was not for everyone. Despite sister Penny's support and close friendship, imaginative Patch was always bored and yearned to be one of a kind, culminating in him being left behind in London and ultimately leading his siblings in escaping Cruella. Meanwhile, Lucky, Rolly and Cadpig soon began having many adventures on their own, always looking for opportunities to explore the world. Both the parents and humans knew that these pups in particular needed a change, so they decided to take them across the sea for a trip to the very same New England town where Jim Dear and Darling lived. But while this satisfied Rolly and Cadpig, it did not with Patch in particular, and he, Penny and Lucky ran away, seeking to start life on their own.

Meanwhile, things were just settling down at Jim Dear and Darling's, as Scamp's drive for adventure and feelings of not belonging were quelled by his delight in having Angel in the family and her soothing his feelings. But when Angel's mother Peg came to the doorstep and flirted with Tramp, the fragile peace in the house collapsed. After Lady lashed out at Peg and Peg revealed Tramp's unfaithful past, Angel didn't feel like she could trust either Lady or Tramp anymore and so she ran away, causing Scamp to instantly follow. To make matters worse, Danielle, often the odd one out of the trio of sisters, had began to develop a need for adventure, and eventually ran away herself.

Scamp, Angel, Patch, Penny and Lucky soon met up on the streets, where they were once again captured by Cruella, and ultimately, the five of them had to work together to escape Cruella's clutches. Lady, Tramp, Pongo and Perdita then also met each other while looking for their puppies, during which time Tramp rekindled his relationship with Lady. They were then joined by an apologetic Peg, who helped them find their puppies. When the parents finally found their pups, they were able to convince Lucky and Penny to come home, but Scamp, Angel and Patch refused, running away from their parents once again.

The three pups then met up with Danielle and her new boyfriend Puffball, a young streetdog who firmly believed that the runaway pups should go home. With Puffball's help, the parents quickly tracked down the runaway pups, this time making sure to individually speak to each of the pups' concerns and eventually, convinced each of their pups to return home. On the way back, they were pursued by both Cruella and Tramp's old nemesis Buster. After defeating them, they found another surprise, that Angel's father Spunky, who they presumed dead, was crippled but still alive. Eventually, they all returned home to some unexpected news. Anita and Darling found out they were long-lost sisters, and Anita bought a house across the street from Jim Dear and Darling's, where they decided to stay with Nanny, Pongo, Perdita and the five pups. Jim Dear and Darling meanwhile saw the new relationships of their dog family, so they decided to adopt Puffball, Peg and Spunky as well.

The two families, having gotten to know each other already, only spent more and more together, and soon, everyone began feeling like they were all part of one big family. The pups began spending more and more time together, and with the trust of their parents, began to have adventures out of the house. And with no shortage of friends to talk to, play with, or even just hang around with, each of the dogs was happier than they've ever dreamed of.

Months passed, and across the sea, Roger and Anita had rented their British property to their close friends the Dearlys and their two dogs, Prince and Missis. Prince and Missis took care of the remaining ninety-four pups well, and most were doing just fine with their new family. However upon hearing the news, Two-Tone was distraught. While being a member of the bully Mooch's gang to protect herself from being bullied, she always harbored a secret crush on Lucky and truly wanted to be with him and his friends instead. It was when the Dearlys found her depressed that they ultimately chose to send her over to America to join Pongo and Perdita's smaller family, a choice that would make her very happy.

While all of this was going on, a third family was also forming in Great Britain, beginning when a young man named Thomas Bourne went to the animal shelter to adopt a white husky pup named CiCi, and the two of them became best of friends. He then fell in love and married Anna who had a cat named Leo. Then later, the two of them found two more pets, XL the fox kit and Scavenger the dalmatian puppy. Despite their different species, ages and experiences, the group bonded to each other quickly, and soon immigrated to the same New England neighborhood where Jim Dear, Darling, Roger and Anita lived.

Thomas and Anna's pets met everyone else in Jim Dear's house, where they were trapped inside, having to take care of themselves as well as Junior in a vicious snowstorm. During this time, a mysterious puppy named Rebecca traveled through time and joined them, while XL and Collette began to fall in love with one another and Lucky and Two-Tone finally confessed their secret feelings to each other. Soon however, everything changed when they became under attack from a pack of wild dogs intent on conquering every housedog, human and their way of life. Through teamwork, understanding and sheer bravery, our heroes were successfully able to rescue the entire town from the clutches of the wild dogs and helping to instigate a new animal rights program to put their town on the forefront of animal welfare. Following the rescue, Thomas and Anna adopted Scavenger's lost brother Tripod from Roger and Anita, and Rebecca chose to stay with Roger and Anita and became part of their family. As a reward for their endeavors, the pets were granted access to the entire town, something that made them all very happy.

So our story will follow Lady, Tramp, Annette, Danielle, Collette, Scamp, Angel, Pongo, Perdita, Patch, Lucky, Cadpig, Rolly, Penny, Peg, Puffball, Spunky, Two-Tone, CiCi, Leo, XL, Rebecca, Scavenger and Tripod on their adventures to go where no pet has ever gone before. And adventures that none of them will ever forget!


	2. Dough Rescue

Chapter 1: Dough Rescue

"Ready everyone?" Roger called out, to which everyone agreed.

Roger was holding a concert in the nearby town of Coastside, and so everyone else was coming along for the trip. Not only did this include his wife Anita and their maid Nanny, Anita's sister Darling and her husband Jim Dear, and their neighbors Thomas and Anna, it also included all of their pets, who were settling themselves in the trailer attached to the back of Roger's car.

As the humans finished loading their luggage into the back of Roger's car, their pets watched them eagerly, heads peering over the trailer's side and tails wagging enthusiastically.

"You all settled in?" Tramp asked excitedly. As everyone was, he smiled. "Great! Now we can all relax and have fun."

"On a vacation!" Annette and Collette said brightly.

"Yeah, to the Big Viol Inn!" Danielle laughed, rocking back and forth on her butt, unable to resist the silliness of the hotel's pun. "Why'd they call it that?"

"Well, there's an instrument called a violin," Pongo explained. "Kinda like a little bass like Roger has. You know, that big thing with the strings on it."

"I've always wanted to chew those strings," Rolly said dreamily as everyone laughed. "They look like noodles."

"I'm looking forward to the concert," purred Leo. "I really like Roger's playing."

"Aye!" agreed Rebecca. "I like his playing just like the music back home. But I'd see there's a wee more ... Zip to his playing! He does have talent."

"Yeah, I just love his style!" said Two-Tone.

"And his wild playing!" exclaimed Lucky.

"And elegance!" agreed Penny dreamily.

"And emotion!" Patch exclaimed dramatically. "Just like in Thunderbolt!"

"Has anyone seen Roger perform live on stage?" XL asked excitedly, to which no one no one nodded. "All right! So this is a first for everybody!"

"And something that we will all never forget!" Lady said happily.

"Who wants to sing along on the way there?" Scamp asked excitedly. Everyone loved the idea, so just as Roger started to move the car

SONG: The Runaway

All:

We're going on vacation

And we're filled with elation

Our worries done

We'll have some fun

Today

We're going on vacation

Dog, cat, fox and dalmatian

To a place where we have never gone before

Lady: Together as a family

Tramp: We've only just begun

Perdita: And though our path's uncertain

Pongo: We'll live through it as one

Peg: A new world for us housepets

Spunky: Where we'll lay down all our bets

Leo: To fully explore

CiCi: Whatever's in store

All: Together!

Scamp: We love to take our own road

Angel: One that has never been showed

Lucky: And we know that there's no way

Two-Tone: Our days will be dull and gray

Cadpig: We'll all be fully renewed

Rolly: Just like when we get our food (*everyone laughs*)

Patch: And we'll follow our big dreams

Penny: As far as the bright sun beams

Danielle: Because that's just who we are

Puffball: Pets who will follow each star

Collette: The fires in us are lit

XL: And we will never just quit

Annette: And with ourselves all in rhyme

Rebecca: As one through space and through time

Scavenger: We know in everyone's heart

Tripod: We're more than ready to start

All: We're going on vacation

A trip beyond sensation

Each one of us

Is one more plus

Today

We're going on vacation

Dog, cat, fox and dalmatian

And as we go, we all will know

In all these days us runaways

Will be on our way together!

Little did they know however, that they were being watched by two dogs, staring at them with deep loathing.

"Isn't she coming yet? I hate just sitting here doing nothing!"

"Relax. She has it all under control."

"I hope you're right."

"I always am. Besides, they don't know who they're dealing with," and the two dogs smirked at each other darkly.

* * *

Soon, they drove far past the boundaries of their town and were driving down a long and narrow road. It was heavily forested with pines on either side, the branches gently swaying as birds happily chirped along. It was an easy drive, and with the sky being bright and sunny, nothing seemed to be going wrong.

"I can't wait till we stop riding in this car and get to have an adventure!" Lucky said enthusiastically.

However, just as he said that, a sudden beam of red light emerged from the woods, breaking the trailer hitch. The trailer ground to a halt as the car grew further and further away. Hurriedly, the dogs howled, but their pets, not suspecting anything, only drove off into the distance.

"You were saying?" Cadpig asked.

"I didn't mean like this," Lucky said.

As the seconds rolled by and their pets didn't return, everybody grew more nervous. "Now we'll never get there," Rolly sighed.

"We're lost, outside of our town, without our pets, and on the middle of the road!" gasped Collette.

"Let me try howling to get their attention," CiCi suggested, and she did, only not to receive a response.

"Hey relax, they'll know we're gone," Spunky said assuredly. "I bet if we all keep howling, it'll be no time till we get noticed."

"Well I guess it couldn't hurt," Annette said.

"Yeah, f the dogcatchers find us, we all have licenses so they'll just call our pets," Angel agreed, and so they all began howling.

Within moments, they heard some rustling from some nearby bushes. Everyone eyed it curiously.

"Kids, stay there," Pongo instructed. "We'll go check it out."

And the adults each went to check out the sound. As they got to the forest however, Perdita felt something was off about the ground she was standing on.

"I'm afraid …" she began, but she never got to finish. All eight adults screamed as the ground gave way and they found themselves falling into a deep pit.

The puppies hurriedly scampered over. "What happened?" Penny asked.

"We fell, I think," Pongo said confusedly.

Tripod frowned. "That hole is no accident."

Scavenger added. "I can smell … Triumph," he said uncomfortably.

"You've got that right!" said a voice cockily, and in front of them jumped two dogs they thought they wouldn't ever see again, and least of all, together.

"Hey Luckless, remember us?" Mooch teased as he and Vendella approached him.

The pups drew closer together in a defensive circle as they looked at these familiar foes. "What do you want?" Lucky asked angrily.

"Don't you know the wild dogs are beaten?" Puffball asked.

"And in case you're wondering, I'm still not interested!" fumed Two-Tone.

"Sorry Tonesy, but that ship has sailed. I'm running with a new crew now," he said tauntingly.

"And what crew is that?" Scamp asked.

Grinning, Mooch and Vendella looked at each other before both lifting up their heads to reveal a pair of brand new collars. Vendella's was covered in sparkling rhinestones and Mooch's was black with spikes jutting out all around it. "Fit us, don't they?" Vendella boasted. "Of course that what comes when you're a De Vil."

"But Mooch is not a De Vil!" Lucky argued.

"I am now," Mooch boasted back.

"No way," Patch said. "Cruella's gone! She can't …" but he stopped as Vendella just smirked.

Vendella smirked deviously. "The De Vils are not that easy to get rid of. And although Cruella may be … Absent, our family is going strong."

"Yeah!" Mooch said. "And that means us! We've got the money, so we've got the power, so we can have anything we want … Including revenge on you!"

"You hurt us, we'll take ya on, ya big bullies!" Danielle dared them, contorting her face in rage.

Mooch and Vendella just laughed. "Oh please," smirked Vendella. "You pups are going to be sorry, but we aren't going to risk our necks when we can have all the power in the world."

"But we're still getting our revenge," Mooch sneered. "All thanks to our pet."

And right on cue, someone else walked through the bushes. It was little girl in a frilly red dress, pigtails, and an innocent little smile, pushing along with her a stroller. "Oh hello there Mooch! Vendella!" Ivy said, bending down to pet them as they both panted excitedly. "You two talking to our little friends? Just to think … It was all too easy. One zap from my stroller and Rugrat's trailer was history. All that's left is to send my little note to those silly families … And you're going to help me with that, Mooch!"

Ivy then bent down to remove Mooch's collar before placing a blue bandanna around his neck. "This ought to make you look more charming," Ivy said as Mooch smirked.

Vendella then yipped a couple times and got in a begging pose. "Oh, you want to show these puppies the note? That will be sure to give them a laugh.

Ivy then gave the note to Vendella, who brought it over for the puppies to read. It was a ransom letter, with magazine letters cut and pasted tidily on a piece of pink paper, that read:

I HAVE YOUR DOGS. GIVE ME 10K OR YOU'LL NEVER SEE THEM AGAIN.

The pups looked at each other in horror. "You can't do this!" Angel shouted angrily. "Our pets love us, and you're using that to hurt them!"

"Couldn't have put it better myself," Vendella sneered, after giving back the letter to Ivy, who then gave it to the disguised Mooch.

"Get back to me with the money, and I'll give you an all-you-can-eat day of premium sirloin," Ivy told Mooch. Excitedly, Mooch yipped and laughed, "So long suckers!" before taking off. The pups then all growled at Ivy and Vendella. "Oh you want to play, puppies?" Ivy asked, before picking up a long rope from inside the stroller and lashing it out at the puppies, laughing manically. Then she hit a button on her stroller, turning it into a vacuum. The stroller vacuum quickly sucked the puppies up before Ivy pressed another button, causing the puppies to be thrown out on the other side of the street. "Bad puppies!" Ivy said. "What's a poor innocent girl like me to do with such nasty creatures?"

"Nasty creatures?" Annette said indignantly, rolling her eyes. "Takes one to know one!"

"They're not gonna get away with this!" Lucky growled.

But they knew that with Ivy, Vendella and her magic stroller heavily guarding the parents' trap, there was no way they could rescue them.

"We've gotta find a way to beat Ivy and her stroller," Angel whispered.

"But how?" Penny asked.

"There's got to be stuff in a nearby town," Patch suggested. "We can use that to stop Ivy!"

"Yeah!" agreed Lucky. "We're gonna find that stuff or we're gonna keep trying!"

"So how can we find a town?" Rebecca asked.

"We smell for one," Rolly said confidently. "Towns have food. We find the food, we find the town."

"And Rolly can sure smell food!" Patch pointed out.

So the puppies followed Rolly as he began to scout out the territory for any edible smells.

"This way," Rolly finally said, and the others followed Rolly along the side of the road. They soon came to a sign telling them that the next town on the highway was three miles away. Rolly however, thought otherwise.

"Guys?" Rolly said. "I know the sign's wrong. I can smell food that way.

"But Rolly, the sign says …" Annette pointed out, but Rolly shook his head.

"I can smell food that way too. But I can smell food better this way. There's more of it, and it's nearer too. That means we'll get to more houses with less walking."

The others knew they could trust Rolly, and so they all opted to keep following him. "How can you smell all that?" Scamp asked, impressed.

"Well, when your nose is finely attuned to the merest morsel of kibble, it all becomes clear," Rolly said confidently.

"And Rolly's nose always knows!" Cadpig said brightly.

The pups went away from the roadside and further into the woods, where they had to climb through thickets of bramble and avoid clumps of lurking poison ivy. But it all proved to be worth it when just on the other side of the woods, they saw the nearest town.

"Hooray for Rolly!" Lucky exclaimed as the others cheered.

"Wow, how can you do that?" Puffball asked incredulously.

"Aww," Rolly said happily. "I don't know, but my nose has never let me down before! I just thank you guys for trusting me."

"We always will Rolly," smiled Collette as the others nodded.

Flushed with their initial triumph, the group then bounded toward the town and took to the streets. They started off foraging through the trash cans and sniffing for distinctive items, but it was not coming so easily.

"There's nothing in the trash," Scamp said. "Not unless we could scare Ivy and Vendella with a bunch of food cans."

"Even I can't smell anything useful," Scavenger added sadly.

"If only we had some money," Rolly sighed. "Then we'd be able to get stuff."

"Aye, but …" and then Rebecca's eyes lit up. "I think I know! We can get things through other ways," Rebecca pointed out.

The others looked at Rebecca quizzically, so she explained. "In De Vil Ville, we got much of our things from bartering. The fisherman gave his fish to the baker, who in turn gave his breads to the fisherman, without any gold. I know we have nothing, but it can also done through favors. So if we do something for someone else, they might return the favor!"

"You're a genius, Rebecca!" Two-Tone hugged her as Rebecca smiled.

"Now all we've got to do is sniff some things out," Scavenger said, sniffing down the road as the others followed his example. Suddenly, the possibilities opened. Far from being limited only to items that were astray, they could now be looking at anything they set their noses on.

They didn't have long to wait. A couple houses down the first street they went was a crate of water balloons. In the backyard, a birthday party of kindergartners was occurring; the children all sitting at a table and eating their cake. The birthday kid's parents were both helping out with the dinner, and ambling around them was an old female Doberman, doing her best to entertain the guests.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Patch asked, looking at the water balloons as the others eagerly nodded.

"These would be perfect!" Cadpig exclaimed.

The group then huddled together. "Some of us better go look for other things," Annette said. So she, Collette, Danielle, Puffball and XL all agreed they would do that and promptly took off. This left the others to bark to get the partygoers' attention. As the kindergartners saw the puppies, they ran over and cheered, and Scamp, Angel, Patch, Penny, Rolly and Rebecca bounded over to play with and entertain them. This left the Doberman free to talk to the others. "Goodness, you puppies are just what little Steve needed for his birthday party," she said, eyeing the playing pups admiringly. "I can't play with him and his friends like that anymore," she said sadly, watching them. "My name is Doris, what are yours?"

The others introduced themselves as they followed Doris to the front step, where she lay to lounge. "Is there anything I can do for you?"she asked as they finished.

"Yeah," Lucky answered. "See, our parents are trapped by a dognapper, and we need those water balloons to rescue them."

Doris nodded but looked uncomfortable. "I can't let you steal from my pets," she said.

"We understand for we love our pets dearly too," Cadpig said sympathetically. "But think about what's really important. Water balloons may be fun, but your pets are having fun without them. While we really need your water balloons to throw at the bad guys who are holding our parents hostage. I know stealing is wrong, but is it worth keeping a family apart for some balloons you might never use?"

Doris looked understandingly at Cadpig. "You pups need them more than I do … But my pets' trust is everything to me. I can't give them to you, much as I'd like to."

"Well, how about we do something to earn those balloons?" Two-Tone offered in response. "Something your pets will like so much they'll give us the balloons for it."

"Hmm … I don't know of anything," Doris said, pondering. "Except …"

"Yes?" the puppies said gathering around her.

"Can you keep a secret?" she asked.

The pups nodded, and Doris explained. "Well when I was a pup, I took my pup's wedding ring off her finger and lost it. That ring was so special to her … I didn't fully understand until later, and I can't ask anyone else without losing the respect of my neighbors … I'm sure it's in town somewhere, just I've never been to sniff it out and I'm too old to dig for it … So if you can find my pet's ring, I'll ask them to give you their water balloons."

"Deal!" Two-Tone said. "Scavenger's great at finding stuff, and Lucky and Tripod are good diggers. I'm sure we'll get your ring!"

"I hope you're right," Doris said.

"We'll go entertain Steve," Cadpig said as Two-Tone nodded, and Doris nodded before yawning. This then left Lucky, Scavenger and Tripod to dig for the ring.

Lucky and Tripod stood on either side of Scavenger, scanning the streets for any dogcatchers, while Scavenger had his nose pressed against the dirt, sniffing intently for the ring. Upon smelling it, he led Lucky and Tripod down a hill to a muddy bank by the pond.

"It's down here, I think … Only thing is, it's pretty deep," Scavenger said darkly.

"Don't worry, we can get that," Tripod said confidently.

"It'd have to be pretty deep if we can't get it," Lucky added assuredly, and after Scavenger pinpointed the exact spot, Lucky and Tripod began to dig, while Scavenger stood to keep watch over both of them.

However, digging was more of a challenge than they expected. The mud was thick and sticky, clinging to their paws and slowing them down. Nonetheless, Tripod was able to quickly dig fast, getting them several feet deep into the ground.

"Almost there," Tripod growled, but he got his front paw stuck in the mud. Desperately trying to pull his paw out of the mud, he inadvertently wedged it in further. "I can't move!" Tripod exclaimed.

Scavenger quickly moved to free Tripod's paw from the mud. Lucky looked to see if he could help, but Tripod said, "Lucky! You keep digging! I'll be all right!"

Lucky nodded and began to tunnel further down the hole they both started, Soon, Lucky's paw hit something small and metallic, and bumping it, he uncovered the missing ring. Biting onto the ring and heaving it out with a big tug, Lucky extracted the ring from its mucky surroundings. "Got it!"

Tripod and Scavenger cheered, before realizing how hard it would be to all three of them to get out of the muddy trench they dug. The three of them barked and hurriedly, the other pups arrived and managed to pull them out.

Then they all went to Doris' house, the ring in tow. She looked at them in disbelief.

"See? I told you we'd get it," Two-Tone told her brightly.

"I still don't believe it ... Thank you pups," she said appreciatively. "I'll get my pets." And Doris barked, causing her pets to promptly arrive.

"Doris, what's going on?" the husband said before gasping, "Oh!"

For he saw the ring in Lucky's mouth. Bending down to take it from him, he examined it closely and saw their wedding date inscribed on the ring's inside. "Marlene! It's your lost ring!"

As he put it on her finger, she said, "Gosh Clyde, it is! It feels just like I remembered it."

Both Clyde and Marlene looked appreciatively at the pups. "We must reward you with something," Clyde said, and Doris nuzzled the crate of water balloons over to them, to which the pups eagerly panted.

"I think they want the water balloons," said Marlene.

"Sure, we don't need them and besides, you deserve it," complimented Clyde.

"Thank you for the ring!" called out Marlene, and as the pups left, they could hear them to talking to Doris. "Good job, old girl. Those were some nice puppies you found. We owe you a nice steak."

* * *

The remaining five pups strolled into town, looking for anything else that could help them. Nothing of use was on the streets, but as they moved along to the stores, they saw a small costume shop, filled to the brim with costumes in every nook and cranny.

"Ooh!" the sisters all said at once, placing their paws upon the windowsill and wagging their tails excitedly.

"We need some of these costumes," Annette said in awe. "We can scare Ivy and Vendella with them."

"Oh yeah!" Danielle laughed. "We're gonna have so much fun with them!"

"They all look so pretty!" Collette said dreamily.

"You *cough* pups want somethin'?" came a voice, and out of the doorway shuffled a buttery-colored terrier mix with thick, wiry fur and two folded ears. He was wearing a clown costume, complete with a cone hat, a big bow tie, and a red rubber nose. At once, the pups started laughing at the dog's silly constume.

"Glad *cough* to make *cough* you laugh," he continued. "My name's Bonkers and I *cough* am the manager's pet. Trouble is *cough* I'm sick and can't perform tricks and bark for the *cough* audience. If you'd do my job, my pet might let you *cough* take some costumes."

"Sure, why not?" Puffball agreed.

Bonkers nodded before hoarsely making a couple feeble woofs, which caught his unoccupied pet's attention, who also was dressed like a clown. "Bonkers! You found some pups to entertain the customers?"

Happily, Bonkers nodded. "Rest up Bonkers," his pet said before turning to the pups, his eyes gleaming. "And I see a pair of perfect little clowns here!"

And before they knew it, the manager picked up Puffball and XL and dressed them up in clown costumes just like Bonkers'. At once, the triplets began to snicker, especially Danielle and Collette, upon seeing them fully decked out.

"Puffy … You look so priceless!" Danielle burst out laughing, as Puffball smiled uncertainly.

"And you look like such a charmer!" Collette told XL, who too was giggling as he imagined what he might look like.

"Well boys, hope you have fun!" called out the manager, before sending the two out to the street.

At first, Puffball and XL struggled to attract customers, so they just sat there cutely and whimpered. Unfortunately, they were too quiet for anyone to notice.

"We've got to come up with something," Puffball said worriedly.

"Yeah, I know," said XL. "Wait! Maybe my impersonations can do the trick!" and XL started going through a round of vocal impersonations. To human ears however, this sounded like a bunch of different dogs yipping and yapping, and as they turned, they looked to the puppy and kit in clown costumes curiously.

"Aww, cute," said a customer.

"Yay, you got their attention!" Puffball exclaimed, before turning to XL. "Now it's time for my old routine!"

And at once, to every human XL brought over with his yips, Puffball gave them puppy eyes, licks and rubs. This caused many people to investigate the store, some even to complement the cute pair of clowns greeting them.

"Wow, we're doing really good!" Puffball cheered.

"Wanna team up together?" XL asked excitedly.

"Okay," Puffball said brightly, and the two of them began to yip and howl, XL modulating his voice to harmonize perfectly with Puffball's, before moving onto performing tricks like begging to further enchant the audience. The double act only spurred further attention to the store, making even Bonkers impressed.

Meanwhile, the triplets went off to search for costumes. Despite the urgency, they couldn't help but to admire the gorgeous costumes dangling off the hangers. The problem was, none of these costumes were made for dogs.

"We wouldn't look convincing in these," Annette said.

"Perhaps if we made scary growls or … Well, maybe not," Collette said. "Not if we move like three dogs standing on top of each other," she said, as Annette and Danielle nodded.

Luckily the three of them soon came across a row of pet costumes. Unfortunately however, most of the pet costumes were cute, like Santa jackets, bumblebees or hot dogs.

"These are no good," Danielle pouted, eyeing the costumes.

"We'll never scare them in these," Annette agreed sadly.

They had almost given up until they arrived at the clearance section. There, hanging invitingly for them were three black spider costumes, each with long, hairy legs creepily dangling.

"Muahaha!" Danielle laughed."One for each of us!"

Annette and Collette looked at them approvingly. "We've got to make ourselves black," Annette said as Collette and Danielle looked at her. "To really blend in with our costumes. And we've got to move like spiders too."

"I know how we can do that!" Collette said excitedly. "We can crawl on the ground real fast so no one sees our paws. That way, it would like the spider legs are moving us!"

"This is gonna be so much fun!" Danielle roared excitedly.

"Let's just hope Puffball and XL do a good job getting customers," Annette said, but just as she said that, they looked behind them and saw that a long line was at the checkout.

"Well, I think they have, don't you?" Collette asked as all three sisters nodded happily.

Just then, the salesman approached them. "Well, it looks like you'd like a costume."

Seeing the sisters were looking at the clearance costumes, he placed his hand on the different costumes until he reached the spider ones.

"Aha! You three are out to scare someone I see," laughed the manager before removing the spider costumes from the shelf. "All right. I'll even paint you black too … If you join your friends on the stage!"

And hurriedly, the manager fitted each triplet into a dog tutu.

"Wow!" Annette and Collette said, admiring their outfits, while Danielle just looked at her tutu and groaned.

"Wanna have some fun gals!" the manager asked.

All three puppies cheered and hurriedly went outside to join Puffball and XL in attracting crowds. The spectacle of five entertaining pups brought over a new crowd to just stand and watch, who especially loved it when the triplets or couples performed a trick together. They performed until they were tired, when they received applause and headed inside.

"How'd you *cough* like clowning around?" Bonkers asked.

"It was awesome!" Danielle cheered.

"I liked it a lot better than I thought I would!" agreed Puffball.

"Well, don't forget it!" Bonkers laughed. "Hope to see you around some time. We can always use more clowns!"

The manager then arrived, with the three spider costumes in hand as well as two similar black scorpion costumes. "Here you are! The scariest dog costumes in the shop. Now let's give you a quick paint job, and I'll fit you in your costumes. Just go out the back door. We don't want to scare any customers, do we?"

The pups barked in agreement. and so the manager went to work. When finished, they were painted with black fur paint and fitted into their costumes. Annette, Collette and Danielle crept out of the shop, practicing their spider walk, while Puffball and XL moved about in their scorpion disguises. As they left through the back door, they didn't run into anybody until meeting the other pups back at Doris' house, who instantly screamed and jumped up in fright as what appeared to be an army of giant bugs came running at them."

"Relax guys," Danielle laughed, thoroughly enjoying herself as they stood up, showing their legs. "It's just us!"

"Goodness!" Penny said admiringly. "I thought you were real!"

"And so will the De Vils!" Scamp said happily.

"And you got the water balloons!" Collette smiled as she saw the others.

"Yep, looks like we're ready," Tripod said determinedly.

"We're really going to show them now!" Lucky said, and the pups all cheered.

* * *

With their water balloons and costumes in tow, the pups set off. Rolly and Scavenger were in the lead, smelling the way back to their parents. The triplets, XL and Puffball were practicing moving in their disguises. Penny, Cadpig, Scamp, Tripod and Two-Tone all worked together to haul the water balloon bucket, while Lucky, Angel, Patch and Rebecca kept watch. At last, they reached the forest where their parents were trapped.

"How far are we from them?" Collette asked Scavenger.

Scavenger sniffed the air. "A few hundred yards or so."

"Let's dig a trap!" Patch suggested eagerly.

Everyone agreed and aside from the costumed pups, whose disguises precluded their ability to dig, started. The lone exception to this was Penny, who stood back to keep an eye on their surroundings. She knew that without her father here, someone had to keep an eye out for danger. She was glad she did, for ten minutes into the digging, she heard the sound of approaching footsteps.

"Hide!" Penny gasped, and hurriedly, the pups all dove into the hole and covered themselves, as well as the crate of water balloons, with brush. They could smell Vendella's distinctive perfumed, smoky scent heading their way. Holding their breaths, they heard Vendella's paws rustle the leafy ground as she moved even closer in their direction. Luckily however, they heard the adults' voices barking loudly.

"Shut up you pests!" Ivy shouted before yelling, "Vendella! Help me deal with those goody four paws!"

Vendella sighed exasperatedly before running back. Quietly, the pups dug away the brush that concealed them. "Whew, that was close," said Tripod as the others agreed.

Cautiously, the group then continued to dig until they finally finished. Spreading the dug dirt around, they covered the trap with brush, making it finally ready. Then they crept back to Ivy and Vendella. Vendella was sneering and laughing at the adults trapped in the hole, while Ivy was standing against a tree nearby, eagerly anticipating Mooch's return, with the long rope in her hand and the stroller parked at the tree's side.

"We'll get the rope," Scamp said as Angel nodded. "That's gotta be how Ivy's gonna get the parents out."

"Okay," Patch said as he eyed the stroller. "And I'll keep her from using that."

"Ready guys?" Danielle stifled a giggle.

They all agreed to the plan, and so the disguised pups crept off to the side and lay hidden on the ground. The remaining pups each bit onto the end of a water balloon, waiting for their chance as Ivy began playing with the rope in her hand, whipping the ground every now and then. Vendella then looked at Ivy and whimpered impatiently, who smirked back at her.

"Just you wait Vendella … Mooch will have the money soon from those lovey-doveys. And once we blackmail them once, who's to say we can't do it again? We'll be able to send them to the poorhouse ... And have far more than Auntie Cruella ever dreamed of!" Ivy laughed triumphantly. "Cecil and Ph will be so jealous."

Vendella smirked as Ivy continued. "And the best part is, no one would ever know! Because who would suspect a sweet little girl and her two doggies?"

Ivy then began to cackle madly. All of the pups looked at each other. This was just the moment they were waiting for. Readying his water balloon, Tripod flung it, sending it right at Vendella. It hit her square on her flank, leaving balloon scraps and water stuck in her fur, giving her a very bad hair day. The pups had to fight hard to stifle laughs. "Hey! Who did that!" Vendella barked.

Ivy heard the barking. "What is it now?" she said.

Then more water balloons came flying at the two of them. "Aw, it's just those stupid puppies," Ivy smirked. "Wanna see your mommies and daddies? Not before I get my … AAAAAHHH!"

Ivy screamed for suddenly, three giant spiders and two equally large scorpions had begun to charge at her. In panic, Ivy left her stroller parked by the tree and hurried away. This gave Patch an opportunity to push the stroller and hide it on the other side of the street without Ivy or Vendella noticing. Vendella, looking confusedly at the bugs, followed Ivy away from them, straight toward the hole the pups dug. Only when she stopped to catch her breath did she realize what must have happened.

"I … hate puppies!" Ivy screamed, brandishing her rope like a whip. "How dare you make a fool of me!" and she began whipping at the disguised puppies. However, the other puppies continued to throw water balloons, which blinded Ivy and Vendella and kept from hitting accurately.

"I'll get you yet!" Ivy shouted, but at that moment, Angel lined up behind Ivy and bit her butt, hanging on as best she could.

"I HATE PUPPIES!" Ivy screamed again, but as she did, Scamp emerged and took ahold of the other end of Ivy's rope.

"Hey, that's mine!" Ivy said, but all the other pups joined Scamp in tugging the rope away from her. Though Vendella tried to help Ivy, the two of them were outmatched by the combined efforts of the puppies, and with a great heave, they managed to tug the rope out of Ivy's hands.

"Get back here!" Ivy asked as the pups all raced toward the trap, being careful to step just around it. However, the weight of both Ivy and Vendella caused them to sink in the hole quite easily, both of them shrieking madly. The pups celebrated, with the recovered rope in their mouths.

With each of them carrying part of the rope to prevent any chance of Ivy or Vendella latching onto it, the pups carried the rope back to the hole where the adults were trapped in. Each of the adults looked discouraged after hours of barking, but all their eyes lit up as they saw the pups above with the rope at the ready.

"Wow, I cannot believe you got that rope!" Perdita exclaimed.

"Right out of Ivy's hands!" Pongo laughed.

"Me neither! It was like a Thunderbolt episode, but better!" Patch said brightly.

Without further ado, the pups dropped one end of the rope down to the bottom of the hole. They then tugged on the other end to pull Leo, the lightest adult, up before he joined the others in pulling. One by one, they managed to get the rest of the adults up.

"We've gotta follow Mooch's tracks," Pongo advised. "We find Mooch, we find the way to our pets. Rolly, Scavenger, you get a smell on him?"

The two pups sniffed the air before both nodding, so the others followed Rolly and Scavenger's noses. They were able to go quite a way before both of them looked at each other and shook their heads.

"We can't smell anymore," Rolly explained.

"A skunk sprayed here a few days ago," Scavenger added. "It blocks Mooch's smell."

"Unless Mooch somehow turned into a skunk," Rolly yawned. "Not beyond the realm of imagination."

"Well, we've always got the good old Twilight Bark," Pongo said.

Luckily the sun was setting, so Pongo knew that many dogs were now tuning into the alerts. He issued a few sounding barks asking for the way to Coastside and waited. Despite them being out on the open highway, Pongo got a distant response telling him to repeat. Pongo did, before getting his answer, and barking thanks.

"We're on the right track," he said, and the group continued going straight ahead.

After following the long, straight highway for a while, they approached a gas station. A sign outside it said Coastside was the nearest town at 10 miles away. "If only we could hitch a ride," said Scamp longingly. "Then we'd get there in no time!"

"Maybe we can," said Spunky, looking to the parking lot. A pickup truck was stationed there, and right nearby was a garbage can with a ripped tarp inside. "And with the perfect cover."

Appreciating Spunky's idea, they hurriedly sneaked into the parking lot and dug the tarp out from the trash can. Luckily, nobody was in the parking lot to notice them. They then jumped up into the pickup truck and after some squirming, finally settled into their spots under the tarp. They waited for a bit before the truck's driver arrived. Their luck ran out however, as he was accompanied by a bloodhound, only this one was much younger and more alert than Trusty. While the driver didn't notice the stowaways, the bloodhound did, and immediately asked them questions.

"What are you doing here?" he growled quietly, peering under the tarp at the dogs. "This is my pet's truck."

"Sorry," Lady whispered. "We normally wouldn't, but we have an emergency. We need to get to Coastside where our pets are staying. We were dognapped so the dognapper could blackmail our pets for us, and we simply must reach our pets before they hand over the money. I understand and respect that we're not supposed to be here, and we normally wouldn't. But this is really important for all of us, so would you please not tell your pet?"

The bloodhound sighed as Lady looked at him imploringly. "I believe you. We're going to Coastside ourselves, so you're in luck. Just try to not let my pet see you or he'll think I invited a party aboard."

The driver, who had just put away his items from the convenience store and started the engine, called out, "Come Beau!"

"We promise we won't. And thank you so much," Lady said gratefully.

"You're welcome," Beau smiled back before joining his pet in the cab. Then they drove off.

It wasn't long before they reached Coastside. As promised, the pets did their best to get off without Beau's pet noticing, and jumped out of the truck at the outskirts of the town while the truck continued to roll along.

"Everyone," Perdita said cautiously, looking up at a notice. "Animal Control Policy: Animals Shall Not Bark Past Sunset."

"That means we can't use the Twilight Bark," Perdita said cautiously.

So they went down a few streets and looked for Mooch or The Big Viol Inn, but they were not able to find either one, by sight, scent, or sound.

"Look," Perdita noticed, looking at a front step. There a younger shih tzu was lounging lazily on the front step, with a town map right by him.

"We could really use that town map," Perdita said thoughtfully. "We read that and we can get to the hotel right away."

"Leave it to me," Peg said confidently, and she sauntered through the yard.

"You bored, mister?" Peg sung to him as she approached. "Well you've got the right sister."

The shih tzu looked at Peg. "Nice voice you've got," he yawned.

"Thanks dearie," she said. "How bout I give you a trade, um ..."

"Malcolm," the shih tzu introduced himself.

"Malcolm," Peg said. "Me and my friends are lost, so if you give us that town map, I'll give you a short but private concert," Peg offered.

"Okay, all right," Malcolm yawned. "My pet's gone anyway, and I'm sure he's got another, so go ahead. Just not too loud!"

So Peg quietly sung Malcolm a few show tunes as he watched her appreciatively. "Nice concert," he said as she finished. "As promised, the map's yours."

Peg thanked Malcolm before rejoining the rest of the group with map in mouth.

Tramp looked at the map and smiled. "We're not far from the hotel at all," he said brightly.

With Perdita reading the map and Tramp using his street sense to ensure they were going in the right direction, it wasn't long before they finally reached The Big Viol Inn. The group's tails wagged excitedly, but they were not out of the woods yet.

"Rolly, do you smell Mooch?" Pongo asked.

Rolly took a few sniffs. "Yeah. It smells like he was here a few minutes ago,"

"He must be in the hotel right now then," Pongo said.

"We can't get too close to the hotel steps," Perdita advised, seeing multiple concierges helping hotel guests unpack. "Maybe one dog could sneak through, but all of us?"

They knew that Perdita was right. If the concierges stalled them for even a moment, it could provide the opportunity for Mooch to get away.

"Then we've got to halt him on the way out," Pongo said.

"When he's off his guard," Tramp smirked, before casting his eyes across the street, where there was a maze-like expanse of alleyways. "And I know just the place to trap him in."

Everyone looked at the alleys and grew excited. "Pups, let's go and investigate," CiCi said, and they all agreed. As they crossed the street, Scamp saw a garbage bag lying there.

"Hey," he said, chewing it open and revealing its contents. "We can use this stuff to slow Mooch down!"

The pups looked and saw that fortunately, the garbage can was loaded.

"Banana peels!" Danielle chortled. "A sure way to slip 'em up!"

"And all these cans can really slow them down!" Angel said.

"And I'd like to see Mooch get past some broken bottles!" Lucky smirked.

Filled with excitement, the pups, CiCi and Leo began littering the alleys with garbage, before finding places to hide for when Mooch would arrive.

Meanwhile, the parents waited near the hotel's front steps, just out of sight from the concierges. They had several close calls with the concierges, but it was worth it when Mooch slipped out the door with a bulging envelope in his mouth. "Heh, piece of cake," Mooch laughed triumphantly.

"Don't bet on it!" Tramp shouted, as he, Pongo and Perdita emerged from one side of the hotel. Hurriedly, Mooch began to make a run for it down the sidewalk, but Lady, Peg and Spunky emerged on the other side, trapping Mooch and forcing him to cross the street. As the others pursued him, there was only one place for him to turn – the maze-like alleyway.

"You don't scare me," Mooch smirked as they cornered him in the alley's entrance. "I can outfox and outrun any of you."

"I'd like to see you try," XL laughed as the puppies and CiCi all emerged.

"So what if there's too many of you and one of me? I've got your tricks down cold." Mooch said cockily.

"Mooch," CiCi said eerily, without moving her lips.

"Who's there?" Mooch asked, not recognizing CiCi's shrouded voice. "And how do you know my name?"

"We ghosts know everything Mooch," CiCi continued. "And we know you're up to no good."

Mooch stuttered, "Gh …. Ghosts!" and at once leaped over the pups and made a run for it.

Leo however, was more than ready as he was perched on some trash cans in a corner below a clothesline strung from the ground. As Mooch approached, Leo leaped onto his head, blocking Mooch's view completely.

"Get off!" Mooch demanded, but Leo didn't let go. Confused, Mooch moved aimlessly, causing him to get his paw stuck in a bucket. Then he stepped onto the dangling end of the clothesline, causing all the laundry to fall on top of him. Angrily, Mooch started to charge, but Leo got out of the way just in time, causing Mooch to hurl himself into the trash cans. With a big crash, trash splattered all over him as he lay dazed and confused. Seizing the moment, Leo took the envelope out of Mooch's mouth and ran off with it and rejoined the rest of the group.

"Great job everyone!" Pongo said as everyone cheered.

With their mission accomplished, they quickly hurried to the front door's steps. The concierges bent down to read their collars and smiled at them.

"So these are our entertainer's pets," one of the concierges said. "Let's reunite them with their family."

The concert was only a few minutes from starting. Roger was not quite himself as he began his final preparations. His fingering was a bit off, causing him to miss several notes. And the more practiced, the more errors he made, causing him to grow all the more nervous. Neither he or anyone else could fully take their mind off the mysterious ransom letter.

"Who could possibly want to extort so much money from us?" Anita asked.

"I would say Cruella, but she's gone," Roger sighed as he scanned over the sheet music for the umpteenth time.

"I just hope our pets are all right," said Anna sadly as everyone else nodded.

However, the moments dragged on and there was still no sign of their pets. Dishearteningly, Roger stood behind the curtain as the others reached the abandoned front row, looking at the empty seats where their pets should have been.

"May I have your attention please," said the host. "This evening I'd like to introduce a fine pianist known for his spirit and vibrancy, Mr. Roger Radcliffe!"

Roger walked out onto the step, his expression anything but spirited and vibrant. But he knew he had to do his best to please the concertgoers.

"Hello everyone," Roger said, clearly distracted. "I'd like to …" But he paused, for he could hear a faint round of barking.

The audience looked at Roger curiously, and the barking only grew louder. Roger stared at his family and friends in the front row who too recognized the barks. Then at once, the large group of pets hurriedly sprinted down the aisles.

"It's our pets!" Anita gasped in shock.

"And the money!" Nanny said as Leo put the money in her lap.

"Jim Dear, do you think our pets did this?" Darling asked.

"Oh Darling, I know they did," Jim Dear laughed in relief. "Good job, all of you!" he said, to which all the dogs panted happily.

"What would we do without you!" Anita added.

Meanwhile, on stage, Roger had completely forgotten he was in the spotlight, as he was fixed on the scene occurring before him. However, when he remembered he was on stage, his heart felt much lighter and his body was able to relax. "Ladies and gentlemen," Roger called out, relieved that he sounded normal once again. "I would like to dedicate this performance to my family, including our wonderful pets. Who not only have done more than I could possibly explain in one performance but also helped inspire my first hit." And with a mischievous grin, Roger began to play the piano and sang, "Cruella de Vil! Cruella de Vil! If she doesn't scare you no evil thing will!"

And as the song drew a round of applause, no one was happier than the big family of pets. Together, they not only managed to save their pets from the De Vils, but they also had another adventure of a lifetime. And just as Roger's piano playing was so spirited, so were they as they eagerly anticipated the next adventure they would have.


	3. Cupid Angel

**Here's the next episode just for Valentine's Day! As always, Lady and the Tramp, 101 Dalmatians and their worlds belong to Disney. Please feel free to leave a review or send a PM of what you would like to see in an episode!**

**Episode 2 – Cupid Angel**

One night, Scamp and Angel went to a pawker party at Sparky's house. All the ex-junkyard dogs had learned to play with Buster on the streets and used it to settle pack disputes and divvy up the food they got as a pack. Now that they were all housedogs and free from Buster, they could play in good fun. Each of them brought bones they gathered in preparation for the game, and there was much laughter in the group as they played. Sparky had just finished dealing the cards before starting the round.

"My paw is a full doghouse," he said daringly, shifting his paws around.

"Ooh! It is a full doghouse in here!" Mooch said excitedly, looking around at everyone.

"No Mooch, Sparky is playing ze full doghouse!" Francois clarified. "And ze would not be smart to top that bet!"

The others looked at each other. Knowing Sparky was a decent card shark, the others were abashed.

"I can top that!" Scamp said determinedly.

"I'm not gonna bet," Angel said. "Fold."

"Oh, I'll bet!" Mooch exclaimed, only for Francois to stop him. "Don't be a dummy Mooch! If Sparky has ze full house and Scamp can top that, you'll lose all your bones!"

"Well, I feel like betting anyway!" Mooch said.

Francois sighed before shaking his head. Scratchy too passed, while Ruby looked at her cards confusedly.

"Here's my paw," Sparky said, revealing that he had indeed been bluffing.

Mooch and Scamp had both then laid out their paws. Mooch had no special paw, but Scamp had a straight. "Hey! I win!" he said, his tail wagging.

Sparky, however, looked at Ruby. "Go on Ruby. What've you got?"

Ruby however shook her head. "I don't believe this."

"Lay your paw Ruby," Sparky told her. Ruby did, and to everyone's astonishment, Ruby had the ultimate pawker play – the royal canine.

Everyone gasped. They had never seen a royal canine before in a card game from anyone other than Buster, who often stacked the deck in his favor. "We have a winner!" Sparky declared, pawing over his, Scamp's and Mooch's bones to Ruby, who couldn't help but to blush in embarrassment. The next two rounds, Angel noticed that Sparky was taking a long time to shuffle the deck, and after each round, Ruby emerged with a royal canine. As everyone looked at Ruby curiously, Sparky hurriedly asked, "Now who wants dinner?"

"Oh! I'd love some food!" Mooch said excitedly, and the others agreed. Sparky led the others to his kitchen, where his pets had laid a bowl of Kanine Krunchies out for each of them. As they ate, no one was really upset about the game, as it was all in good fun and they were just playing as friends. However as Mooch began to tell a funny story, capturing the others' attention, Scamp had a question for Angel.

"I thought a royal canine is rare," Scamp said. "Like, so rare you'd never see one dog with three in a row."

"Yeah, other than when Buster rigged the game, that's basically unheard of," Angel muttered quietly.

"But Ruby didn't deal the cards," Scamp said confusedly.

"No, she didn't," Angel said, watching Sparky, who was laughing madly as Ruby told a corny joke.

Soon, the ex-junkyard dogs began to head back to their homes and Scratchy, who lived with Sparky, went upstairs, which only left Scamp, Angel and Sparky. Angel whispered to Scamp, "You start heading home Tenderfoot. I'll catch up with you in a bit." Scamp nodded understandingly and headed out the door.

Angel walked into the kitchen as Sparky was stacking the bowls up in a pile. "That was some game today, wasn't it Sparky?" she said evenly.

Sparky didn't meet Angel's eyes as he muttered, "Yeah, who would've believed it?"

Angel stared at Sparky. "My point exactly."

"Well, that's pawker," Sparky shrugged. "Different games have different paws."

"Yes," Angel said. "But what's the chance the same dog gets a royal canine three games in a row?"

Sparky chuckled nervously. "It's just a game."

"Come on Sparky, you know just as I do how Buster rigged these games," Angel said.

"Well I didn't rig it for myself," Sparky said defensively.

"I know that," Angel said.

Sparky looked at Angel guiltily. "Was I that obvious?" as Angel nodded.

Sighing, Sparky said, "I guess I just wanted to see Ruby smile."

Angel watched Sparky closely, and this coupled with Sparky's laughing at Ruby's jokes, caused Angel to venture a guess. "Do you … Have a crush on Ruby?"

"Consarn it, you are way too sharp," Sparky sighed.

Angel however, only smiled at Sparky. "I bet you think I'm really silly," Sparky muttered.

"No! The only one who's silly is me for not seeing it before!" Angel exclaimed.

"Well, you know how it is in the junkyard. You've got to keep your emotions in check, otherwise you'd lose your cool as a streetdog and Buster would kick you out. Which reminds me, I didn't really think it was funny you wanted to be a housedog. Nor did anyone else for that matter. We should've stood up for you, but we didn't 'cause we were plain old chicken… So I wanna say sorry for all of us."

"Thanks," Angel said gratefully, pleased to hear what she knew the others felt.

Sparky sighed before continuing. "I've loved Ruby since I first met her. Corny, I know. I always hoped to hook up with her, but I never had the nerve. But I got to be with her, first in Buster's gang and now as my neighbor, which is all I could want."

Sparky sighed. "But she wouldn't be interested. You saw her with Scamp. She likes to flirt with younger pups, so she wouldn't be interested in an old-timer like me. Besides, even if she was interested, we don't have the same pet. Can you imagine what our pets would do if they find us together? They'd make it so we'd never see each other again, or kick us both out of our homes!"

"Relax Sparky, I'm sure it won't come to that," Angel told him.

"Well, don't do anything crazy," Sparky warned. "Because if Ruby finds out …"

"Don't worry, I've got it covered," Angel said assuredly, and she left the house, leaving Sparky behind worriedly.

Scamp was waiting at the front step when Angel returned home, to which he looked at her. "What's the matter Angel?" he asked. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Angel hesitated, but she knew she could trust Scamp with anything. "Scamp, Sparky has a crush on Ruby," she told him.

Scamp's eyes widened in shock. "Wow, really? I had no idea."

"Me neither," said Angel. "But we've got a friend to help," she said determinedly. "You in?"

"Yeah!" Scamp said, his tail wagging.

When all the other pups were in bed, Scamp and Angel went to talk to their parents. As tempted as they were not to, they knew their parents had far too much romantic experience to pass up on their input.

"Wow, I knew those two were friends, but this is something else!" Tramp beamed.

"The two of them are just perfect for each other!" Spunky agreed.

Lady and Peg however both looked concerned. "You sure this is a mutual attraction?" Peg asked. "Because we don't want Sparky to end up with a broken heart."

"And we've got to consider Ruby's feelings as well," Lady asked. "We wouldn't want Ruby feel forced to accept."

"We thought about that," Angel said cautiously. "But Sparky won't ever get the nerve without help!"

To their surprise, the parents only looked at each other, before Lady slowly suggested, "If we could find some way to find out Ruby is feeling."

"Without her realizing what you're up to," Tramp added.

"It'd have to be done by a friend," Peg said.

"That Sparky doesn't know is onto this," Spunky said, as all four of them and Angel looked at Scamp.

"Wanna check on her Tenderfoot?" Angel asked.

"What should I say?" Scamp asked.

"Try to get Ruby to talk about Sparky," Angel suggested. "Without her realizing what you're up to."

"I can do that!" Scamp said, trying to cover his nervousness. Angel however, wrapped a paw around him. "Don't worry Tenderfoot. We've got this."

"We sure do!" Scamp said, feeling greatly relieved with Angel's assurance.

The next morning, Scamp and Angel woke up and after a quick meal headed over to Ruby's house. Angel kissed Scamp good luck and hid in the bushes before Scamp approached the front steps. Luckily, Ruby was outside, lounging on the porch floor as her pet was accompanying her on her rocking chair. Scamp panted outside to get her pet's attention.

"Why, you're one of those neighbor pups who saved us!" Ruby's pet exclaimed. "Welcome!"

As her owner saw Scamp and Ruby greet each other, she was greatly surprised. "Ruby, I didn't know you knew this puppy!"

Ruby barked happily, and as her pet returned to stroking Ruby, she and Scamp began to talk. "Morning Scamp," she greeted him affectionately. "It's a nice morning outside."

"Yeah," Scamp said. "That was a great party last night."

"Oh yes," Ruby said. "How're you learning the game?"

"Great," Scamp said happily. "Angel and you guys have taught me all the tricks. But it looks like you know how to play better than we do!"

Ruby shook her head. "Dumb luck. I don't know how I got so lucky, to be honest. I've got so many bones I don't know what to do with them all. Maybe I should give some to each of you."

"Hey, they're your winnings," Scamp said brightly. "All that mattered to us was having fun. And we sure had that!"

"Yes, Sparky is a great host," Ruby chuckled. "Just like old times. Only now we can just relax and hang out. Thanks to you and Angel, we can really be true friends. We don't have to worry about Buster breathing down our necks and we can say whatever we want to each other. Mooch is a real laugh, Francois is so smooth, and Sparky …" Ruby giggled before saying, "Well, he's something else."

Suddenly, Ruby pawed Scamp closer to her. "Can you keep a secret? I want to tell someone but don't know who else to tell."

"Well, okay," Scamp said, trying to conceal his anticipation.

"Well," she said. "I know you're just a pup, and maybe I'm too old for puppy love, but … See, I've got a crush on …"

But at that moment, Sparky had just walked out the door of the house next door and looked over to see Ruby and Scamp. At once, his face fell, he sighed, and he trudged back inside.

"Yes?" Scamp asked, trying his best to ignore what just happened.

"You," Ruby said dully, looking away from Scamp as she did.

"Oh," Scamp said. "But …"

"I know it's silly," Ruby forcibly snickered. "But I do," she said in a tone that left Scamp thoroughly unconvinced. Sensing this, Ruby said, "Angel's probably waiting for you. See you round, Scamp."

"Bye," Scamp said, and he took off down the steps, and as soon as Ruby wasn't looking, he nodded to Angel, who came out and the two pups trotted home.

"Well, good news is she clearly likes him," Scamp said. "Bad news is …"

"How will we get them talking now?" Angel finished as they jumped through the dog door.

Time went by, and no one saw hide nor hair of Sparky or Ruby. Both Scamp and Angel were eagerly waiting for another party invitation, but none came. Soon the other pups began to notice that Scamp and Angel were glum themselves.

"What's wrong guys?" Patch asked after noticing how lifelessly Scamp and Angel were passing the ball in a game they were all playing.

"Well, we found out that Sparky and Ruby love each other," Scamp explained.

"But now Sparky thinks Ruby isn't interested in him and Ruby thinks she broke Sparky's heart," Angel said.

"And it was all our fault," Scamp said as Angel nodded.

Two-Tone however went to comfort them. "Hey, don't give up yet! If they wanna be together, we can still help them!"

"Nothing can stop true feelings in the heart!" Cadpig agreed.

"We've just got to take matters into our own paws," Lucky said determinedly, and together, the pups huddled together and came up with a plan.

The pups consulted with the parents, who agreed to take part in the plan. Pongo and Perdita, each with a leash in their mouth, headed out to Sparky's and Ruby's houses and barked to get their pets' attention. The trick worked, for both Sparky's and Ruby's owners got the message and leashed their dogs up. Both Sparky and Ruby were not pleased as Pongo and Perdita led their pets walked them over to Roger and Anita's, where the rest of the group was waiting for them.

"What's the idea, anyway?" Sparky asked indignantly as Scratchy scratched calmly.

"I was wondering myself," Ruby agreed.

Pongo and Perdita however ignored them, and then barked to get Roger and Anita's attention, and the two of them promptly came out.

"Good morning," Roger said as he answered. "What can I help you with?"

"I don't know," said Sparky's pet, "Your dogs led us here."

"Well then, maybe they know," Roger said. "Come inside."

They did to find everyone else waiting in Roger's living room, and while Scratchy relaxed, Sparky locked his eyes on the last dog he wanted to see, who nervously smiled as he glared at her.

"All right Angel, what is this about?" he asked angrily. "Couldn't you tell what I said was private?"

Sparky's comments however had the exact opposite effect, for everyone only looked at him instead, including Ruby's. "What are you talking about?" Angel asked innocently.

"You know what I'm talking about! My feelings for Ruby!" Sparky shouted, only to realize moments too late that he answered in front of Ruby, who was shocked. "Sparky, you really love me?"

"Yeah," Sparky said. "Go on, laugh! I know I'm not your type and you probably think I'm an idiot …"

"No I don't!" Ruby answered back. "Actually I actually always hoped you'd ask. I never had the nerve because you know what Buster was like about relationships. And now that we have pets, I assumed I had to put my crush behind me."

"But I thought you like young pups?" Sparky asked.

Ruby laughed. "Just flirting with them, silly. Nothing serious. Not like you, babe," she said, and to everyone's shock, she licked him across the cheek, causing him to blush.

"Gee," Sparky said, rubbing the spot where she licked him. "I don't know what to say but … I rigged the pawker game for you, Ruby. It was the gift I wanted to give you all this time I couldn't give myself."

"You shouldn't have," Ruby said. "But I appreciate the gesture."

"Only one problem," Sparky said. "We live in different houses. How can we be together if our pets won't let us?"

"I was thinking about that," Ruby said sadly.

Collette and XL however approached them. "Collette and I don't live in the same house either," XL pointed out.

"But we're neighbors and lovers, just like you," Collette explained, "So really, we get to be together when we want."

"And you guys are next door," Scamp pointed out. "That means you don't even have to go anywhere!"

"You two, lick each other," Angel advised, getting a sudden idea.

"What?" Sparky and Ruby asked at once.

"Just do it!" Angel urged.

Sparky and Ruby looked at each other, before both closing their eyes and licking each other on the cheek. They moaned softly as they held on, hoping for the moment to never end. This got the attention of the humans at once, and Roger smiled. "Well, I think I know what Pongo and Perdy wanted now. They realized your dogs were in love!"

The two neighbors looked at each other. "I did not know that," Ruby's pet said. "Did you?"

"No," Sparky's pet answered. "But we've got an extra double doghouse in storage. How about we place that in between our yards? So they have a place to sleep together?"

"Yes," agreed Ruby's pet. "And I'll let Sparky in my house anytime, if you'll let Ruby in yours."

"Deal," Sparky's pet replied as everyone barked excitedly and Sparky and Ruby rubbed against one another.

Then they turned to Angel and Scamp. "Thanks so much for finally getting us together," Ruby said.

"Yeah, I don't know if we could've done it without you," Sparky smiled.

Angel and Scamp just smiled. "That's what friends are for," Angel smiled at them.

"Wanna have another pawker party soon?" Scamp asked.

"Sure thing," Sparky said. "Only this time, I won't stack any more decks!"

And all four of them laughed before Sparky, Ruby, Scratchy and their pets left Roger and Anita's before heading home.

Since then, Sparky and Ruby had spent countless hours keeping each other company in their doghouse, doing what neither of them had dreamed of for all their lives. And all the while, they were always grateful to Angel and Scamp, their old friends who had helped them out immeasurably once again.


	4. A Two-Toned Ring

**Another episode for Valentine's Day! As always, Lady and the Tramp, 101 Dalmatians and their worlds belong to Disney.**

**Episode 3 - A Two-Toned Ring**

It was early one Saturday morning when Two-Tone woke up. Ambling down the stairs, she stopped in front of the floor-length mirror. She had been so busy that she largely left it up to her pets and parents to keep her looking good, and indeed, she felt as good as ever. To her surprise however, as she looked in the mirror, she looked a bit off somehow. She tried changing her posture, hoping she'd look better at a different angle, but no matter what she did, she still didn't look quite right.

At breakfast, she looked in her water bowl and still wasn't satisfied. So once they were done with breakfast, Two-Tone hung back to wait for a chance to ask Pongo and Perdita about it.

"Mom? Dad?" Two-Tone asked. "Uh … I can call you that, right?"

"Of course," Pongo told her warmly. "As far as we're concerned you're like a daughter to us."

"Not to mention our future daughter-in-law," Perdita added. "Now what is it sweetheart?"

"Well, it's silly … But, my looks … Do I look all right?" Two-Tone asked.

Pongo and Perdita looked at each other puzzledly, but they were interrupted. "Of course you do!" Lucky said, hurrying in, remembering how Two-Tone was bullied by her birth siblings for not looking like other dalmatians. "Don't let anything some bully might say get you down, Two-Tone. You're the prettiest girl I've ever met, and there's no way I'll ever think otherwise!"

Two-Tone blushed and smiled at Lucky as Pongo and Perdita looked at each other warmly. "Lucky's right," Pongo told her encouragingly. "You look just fine."

"And looks don't really matter, it's who you are inside that counts," Perdita added.

"I know that," Two-Tone said. "But there's nothing about me that looks … Different?"

Pongo and Perdita exchanged a blank look before shaking their heads. Disappointed, Two-Tone sighed and walked off. Lucky however, was determined to get to the bottom of this.

He went to his water bowl and stared into it, hoping to come up with some idea. After racking his brains and coming up with nothing however, he assumed it was just something in Two-Tone's imagination. He soon was distracted though, when out of the corner of his reflection he saw that Rolly and Cadpig were watching him.

"Wow Lucky," Cadpig said. "You look deep in thought."

"Yeah," Lucky sighed. "It's Two-Tone. She's not happy with how she looks. Like there's something missing."

"Missing? I don't know what's missing … Except …" Rolly said uncertainly.

"What?" Lucky asked curiously.

"Well, she used to smell more like … Metal," Rolly said, not sure if he used the right word.

A spark of inspiration however, lit up in Lucky's head. "Rolly, that's it! Two-Tone's missing her earring! Remember? She lost her earring before she first got here."

Rolly and Cadpig looked at each other. "But that's gotta be across the sea," Rolly said.

Lucky however was unfazed. "Not if we get Two-Tone a new ring," he said determinedly.

They were interrupted however, as down the hallway, they heard Two-Tone and Rebecca talking to each other.

"Hide!" Cadpig whispered, and the three of them went around the corner as Two-Tone and Rebecca approached the water bowls on their way up the stairs.

"Come on Becca! You'll love trying on hats!" said Two-Tone brightly. "There's all kinds you just have to try on!"

"Well okay," Rebecca said curiously before the two of them went up the stairs.

Lucky, Cadpig and Rolly looked at each other. "How can we find a ring out there without Two-Tone noticing if she's gonna be out too?"

"With a little help of course," Lucky answered with a smirk.

So Lucky, Rolly and Cadpig went across the street and entered the front dog door of Jim Dear and Darling's house. The grownups were gone with Jim Dear and Darling and Danielle and Puffball were babysitting Junior, but after a quick bark, they were greeted by Scamp, Angel, Annette and Collette. "Hey, what's up?" Scamp asked, his tail wagging.

"Well, we need some help," Lucky said. "We're trying to get Two-Tone a new earring."

Annette and Collette oohed, while Scamp and Angel looked interested. "Why, that is so sweet of you!" Collette sighed dreamily.

"Trouble is, Two-Tone and Rebecca are also going out," Rolly said. "They're looking for hats."

"Yeah, and we wanna keep it a surprise," Lucky added.

Then Annette asked the question Lucky didn't know the answer to himself. "Where will you find an earring? There's a jeweler on main street, but I don't know if he'd give any away."

"Maybe there's a ring in the junkyard!" Scamp pointed out. "I fell in a wardrobe once, so maybe there's some old jewelry in there."

"Yeah, I'm sure there's some lying around," Angel agreed.

"But I wanna give Two-Tone a nice ring," Lucky said determinedly. "One that really fits her."

"Well, maybe you can take it to the jeweler's," Annette said. "I think they have a dog too. They can make any ring look just gorgeous!"

Lucky waged his tail excitedly. "Wow, that's it! Thanks guys! I better ..." Lucky said, prepared to head out the door, only for Rolly and Cadpig to step on his tail, holding him back.

"Hold on there," Cadpig advised. "We've gotta figure out a way you get to the junkyard and the jewelers without Two-Tone noticing."

"And if Two-Tone wants to look at hats, you won't be able to sneak into the jewelry shop easily because the hat store is right next door," Collette warned.

"Not to mention there may be more hats for them to try on in the junkyard," Angel pointed out.

Annette looked on thoughtfully. "Well, if she has to go to those places, maybe we should give her a tour. We'll take her to the junkyard ..."

"And then when we're done, you can find your ring afterward," Collette pointed out. "Then we'll take her to the hat shop, and while we're busy in there, you can go to the jeweler's."

"Point is, we'll keep her out of your way," Annette said.

"Besides, we want to check out those hats ourselves!" Collette exclaimed.

They said goodbye to Scamp and Angel before Lucky, Rolly, Cadpig, Annette and Collette went into the bushes outside Scamp's house, waiting for Two-Tone and Rebecca to emerge. Soon enough they did, and on cue, Annette and Collette immediately ran over to them.

"Hi girls!" Annette asked. "Where are you going?"

"Off to find some hats," Two-Tone answered happily.

Annette and Collette looked at each other knowingly. "We know exactly where to find them!"

"Yes, for we know all the places around town," Collette said.

Two-Tone grew excited. "Really? Where?"

"Well, there's the junkyard, Annette said. "Which despite its name might hold some chic beneath the crud."

"And with a good washing, maybe some old stuff will be just like new!" Collette added.

"It's like rummaging for stuff in a yard sale, absolutely free!" Annette added.

"Yard sales? I love yard sales!" Two-Tone said excitedly, causing Rebecca to look very curious. "Yeah, most of it may be worn ... But there might be some sweet gem in there! Absolutely free! Yeah let's check it out!"

"That's not all," Collette said excitedly "There's also a hat shop downtown."

"Why didn't you say so?" Two-Tone gasped excitedly. "Come on Becca, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

And bubbling with anticipation, Two-Tone tore down the sidewalk, while Annette, Collette and Rebecca struggled to keep up.

Once they were out of sight, Lucky, Rolly and Cadpig followed quietly and from a distance well back. The smell of the junkyard, though much reduced since no one lived there anymore, still smelled of heavily old, rusting wood and metal parts.

Annette, Collette, Rebecca and Two-Tone smelled the stench of the junkyard to find their way too. "What is this?" Rebecca asked uncomfortably.

"Looks pretty bad," Two-Tone said, putting her paw to her nose. "The kinda place Mooch'd like! But you never know what you might find with so much stuff!"

As it turned out, Two-Tone was in luck. Somebody had left out a bag of hand-knitted newborn beanies, and with no junkyard dogs to chew them, they were left untouched. Finding the bag, Two-Tone rushed over to sniff them.

"Hmm, this one was worn, it may have lice on it, pleh! But ooh, this one seems all right ... I only smell the knitter! Aww, it's too small for me. Becca, why don't you try it on?"

Rebecca slipped it on. Finding the broken mirror in the junkyard, Rebecca examined herself. "Why, it's cute," she said as she walked back to Two-Tone. "But it's not really my color."

"True, you'd look much better in pink," Two-Tone said. "But I love the design! If only there were hats my size ... Oh wow. there's one!" she exclaimed. She examined herself in the mirror as Collette and Rebecca followed.

"Not that bad," Two-Tone said brightly. "I guess I'll take it home. See if Nanny can make it look extra special."

"That sounds lovely!" Collette added, catching Annette's eye who had just appeared around the corner.

While all this was happening, Annette had sniffed through the pile of junk and in the rubble found a drawer filled with rusted, faded and tarnished jewelry. Pulling it out to make sure Lucky, Rolly and Cadpig would notice it, Annette loudly said, "Come on girls, let's check out the hat shop!"

"Yes! I've heard Sophie Spaniel, the dog there, is really nice!" Collette chimed in.

And as the four of them went off, Annette and Collette winked to the entrance of the junkyard barrel, where Lucky, Cadpig and Rolly were waiting. As soon as the girls were gone, Lucky, Rolly and Cadpig entered the junkyard.

"I liked that look on the sisters' faces!" Cadpig said.

"And I can see why," Rolly said, instantly finding the drawer of old rings and necklaces.

Lucky eyed the tarnished jewelry doubtfully. "Well, they're not what I'd like...," he said. "But if the jeweler can really fix them up ..." Then his eye caught a few certain earrings. "Hey, these are hoop earrings! Two-Tone's favorite kind!"

"Two-Tone's ear size is about mine," Rolly said. "You can use me as your model."

So Cadpig affixed the earrings to Rolly's ear as Lucky examined them one by one. "Too big ... Too small ... Too heavy ... That's the one!" Lucky finally said, gently biting onto the edge of a pair of rusted earrings that were just the size, mass, and shape of her old ones.

"Does anyone know where the jeweler's is?" Cadpig asked.

"Aww, that's easy! Just follow their scent!" Rolly said confidently.

And so they did, and soon enough, they wound up at Main Street, where they saw a sign reading "Stewart's Jewelers." Surreptitiously, Cadpig peered into the hat shop next door, and saw that Sophie, the store's springer spaniel had given each of the pups a catalog while the pups thanked her for letting them try some hats on.

"Hide!" Cadpig exclaimed, and she ran into the alleyway. Rolly, who was not a natural hider, pretended to eat the street's kibble and be absorbed with the food, trying to be as innocuous as possible. Lucky, meanwhile, tore straight into the jeweler's shop.

It was just in the nick of time, for the girl pups just left the hat shop.

"Those tams were truly lovely!" Rebecca exclaimed.

"I knew you'd love 'em!" Two-Tone beamed.

"So, where do you two want to go next?" Collette asked.

At once, she and Annette wished they hadn't, for Two-Tone had just looked above her. "Oh yay! A jewelers!"

Annette and Collette looked at each other in panic as she put her paws on the windowsill and looked at the jewelry longingly.

"Ooh, I'd love to try some of these!" Two-Tone exclaimed, her tail wagging fiercely.

Annette then hurriedly cut in. "We can't go there."

"Huh?" Two-Tone asked disappointedly.

"The owner doesn't like dogs," Collette ventured wildly.

Two-Tone was not convinced. "But we're not just any dogs! We're the pups who just saved this town! You don't think they'd turn us out?"

"Yeah, the manager, uh," Annette began.

"Will sweep us out with a broom," she finished after a pause.

"Will lock us up for the night," Collette said at the same time. The sisters looked at each other in horror, realizing how awkward they sounded. Inside the shop, Lucky hoped that neither was true.

Two-Tone looked at them perplexedly.

"There's a better store," Collette spat out impulsively. "It's, uh ..."

"That way," Annette and Collette both said, pointing in different directions. Their hearts pounded as they hurriedly dropped their paws, for neither were natural liars and Two-Tone's expression was becoming suspicious. Luckily, Rebecca seemed to size up the situation, for she said, "Lassies, I smell some cheese and sausage. What exactly is that?"

"The pizza parlor!" Annette and Collette gasped, both struggling to obscure the relief in their voices, promising to themselves to thank Rebecca profusely.

"Let's go!" Collette cried out excitedly, and so she, Annette and Rebecca headed down the street. Two-Tone looked at the jewelers wistfully, but she followed them.

"That was too close," Lucky muttered to himself.

"May I help you?" a voice asked. Looking up, Lucky saw that standing in front of him was a sable saluki who was adorned in shining gold jewelry, including earrings on both ears, bands around her paws, and multiple necklaces around her thick golden collar. "Sally Saluki, at your service," she bowed.

"Whoa," Lucky said in shock. Then he remembered why he was here. "Um, can you do me a favor? It's my girlfriend," he blushed. "I want to give her this earring as a present ... If it's not too old that is," he muttered.

Sally however smiled. "Age isn't everything, dear. Don't tell your pets this, but my ornaments are relics passed on to me from my ancestors long ago. But you would never know that from looking at them, would you? No, it's conditioning that really matters. Loving care can help jewelry look like new, which I know Two-Tone can give plenty of."

"How did you know?" Lucky asked.

Sally laughed. "You Park Avenue pups are the most famous dogs in town after all you've done for us. My pet and I can only begin to repay you with a conditioning free of charge."

And without another word, Sally took the ring from Lucky's mouth and barked to get her pet's attention. Stewart, a middle-aged bespectacled man,came out and inspected the earring. "A fine ring. This needs some buffing and steam cleaning." Then he noticed Lucky and smiled. "Oh, I know you! Is this for your girlfriend?"

Lucky barked, and then Stewart set to work. Lucky went to get Rolly and Cadpig, and not long after, the earring was refurbished. It now dazzled and sparkled as its golden luster warmed Lucky's heart. "Whoa," Lucky said in disbelief. "This is the same earring?"

"Yes," Sally informed him. "And if taken care of, this ring will look this good for a long time to come." Stewart then put the earring in a case which he put in a bag and gave to Lucky.

"Thank you so much," Lucky said.

"Anytime," Sally smiled, and the three pups left the jeweler's, still in amazement.

It was getting dark by the time they were back outside.

"I can't wait to see Two-Tone's face when she sees her new earring!" Lucky said excitedly as they crossed another street.

"Heh, she won't be seeing it anytime soon," came a voice, and suddenly, Mooch emerged from behind a tree.

"Sheesh, somebody needs to stop being so obsessive-compulsive about following us," Cadpig sighed.

"Give me that earring!" Mooch ordered.

"No!" Lucky said.

"Fine, I'll just take it!" and he jumped in front of Lucky, and started pulling on the bag. Lucky tried his hardest to pull the bag back. Rolly and Cadpig looked at each other, wanting to help Lucky out, but knowing that their getting involved could potentially imperil the earring.

Unfortunately, Mooch was winning the tug of war battle.

"You know, I'd have much more use for it than you," Mooch told Lucky. "If you give it to her, she'll always be reminded of when she had one before ... When she was in my gang ... And she'll always think of me."

Lucky's eyes widened as he shook his head, but Mooch smirked. "I should almost let you have it ... For I win either way."

Subconsciously, Lucky felt himself losing his grip on the bag until Mooch tore it out of his mouth. "Haha, it's mine, all mine," Mooch laughed until he screamed and let go of the bag, Lucky recovering the bag just in time. As he looked behind Mooch, he saw that Two-Tone had arrived and bit him on the tail.

"When are you gonna leave Lucky alone?" Two-Tone asked impatiently.

"Never!" Mooch exclaimed.

"Oh yeah?" Cadpig asked. "How'd you like it if we howl for the cops?" And all four of them lifted their heads back, preparing to howl.

This did the trick. "I'll get you someday!" Mooch shouted, before running away out of sight.

"Thanks Two-Tone," Lucky said gratefully.

"No, I should thank you," Two-Tone smiled. "If it weren't for you I might still be stuck with that bully," causing Lucky to smile back.

"Two-Tone, uh ... I've got a surprise," Lucky said nervously, wondering how Two-Tone would think of the earring, especially in light of what Mooch had said. "But it's dark. You have to be in the light to really see it."

So they walked home. "You know, Two-Tone," Rolly pointed out. "You're not just our adoptive sister. You're Lucky's friend ... And if you're Lucky's friend, you're our friend too."

"Thanks!" Two-Tone said appreciatively.

"So I was just thinking ..." Rolly continued. "The three of us got into a lot of fun back at the farm, and we're gonna keep hanging out like that here. But if you ever want to hang out with the three of us, well, you're more than welcome!"

"Yeah!" Cadpig said. "We'd love you to hang out with us!"

Two-Tone looked at them in surprise. "Wow, thanks!" she said. "I'd love to join in sometimes!"

"Hooray!" Cadpig said before the four pups had a group hug.

Before long, they were back home. Rolly and Cadpig hurriedly told the others to give Lucky and Two-Tone some space. Everyone got the message, so Lucky and Two-Tone were alone by the same mirror where Two-Tone first saw herself in the morning.

"Two-Tone, you're the most wonderful girl I could ever meet," Lucky said nervously. "And well ... You don't have to keep this if you don't want it, but well ..." And breathing heavily, Lucky put down the bag and pushed it to her.

He could hardly bear to look as Two-Tone extracted the case from the bag, but as she opened it, she gasped. "Lucky, you didn't!"

Lucky looked at her breathlessly. "You got this for me?" she asked in shock.

Lucky nodded. "I know it's not as good as your old one, but ..."

But Two-Tone just shook her head and laughed. "Not as good? My old earring was just a gold-plated trinket. Flashy, but easily replaced. But this is something else!"

"And it doesn't make you think of Mooch?" Lucky asked, remembering how Mooch had taunted him. "Mooch said wearing a ring would make you think of him."

"Pfft!" Two-Tone laughed. "Nah, wearing a ring was my idea, not Mooch's! He doesn't know the first thing about fashion."

Lucky nodded understandingly before asking, "Do you like it?"

"Oh, I more than like it, I love it!" Two-Tone exclaimed. "And look! It's even personalized!" she said, showing it to Lucky.

Lucky looked at the inside of the earring, where four tiny letters were carved onto it: LXTT. Lucky could only gasp, realizing what the jeweler must have done.

"You really are too much!" Two-Tone said, hugging Lucky before affixing the new earring to her ear which sparkled brightly. She looked in the mirror again, and this time, she was satisfied. "Now I look absolutely perfect! I feel so happy! But you know what? There's thing that would make me feel even better."

"What's that?" Lucky asked.

"Having you with me, of course," Two-Tone exclaimed, and she hugged Lucky closer, bringing him into the mirror's light. As he saw how happy she looked, Lucky too saw a big smile on his face. He had just made Two-Tone's day, and not only that, she had a real token of their young but very true love.


	5. The Mismatched Cop Dog

**Episode 4 – The Mismatched Cop Dog**

On a street corner in Main Street, Scamp, Angel and Patch were playing ball. The weather couldn't have been more perfect as they kicked the ball back and forth to each other. It didn't seem like anything could interrupt their game until Scamp threw the ball high into the air, only for his aim to be far off and hit the head of a dozing black and tan German shepherd across the street on the grass of the police station.

"Oops," Scamp laughed nervously as the shepherd woke up, and as he stood up, they saw that the dog wore a police badge. "Oh …" Scamp said as Patch and Angel looked nervously at each other, thinking it was Maximus, the imposing police chief's dog. The dog walked over, with the ball in his mouth, and they couldn't help but to feel nervous. "Sorry Maximus, we won't do it again …" Scamp said as the dog dropped the ball in front of them. But then Scamp looked in his eyes and realized, "Hey, wait a second … You're not Maximus!"

Angel and Patch looked at the shepherd and saw that Scamp was indeed right. In contrast to Maximus' steely, alert look, this dog had soft, melting eyes, an unsure gait, and a body that was lean rather than muscular. Moreover, he looked much younger, only a couple of years old at most. "No I'm not," he said shyly. "But hey, at least I got your ball back. That's something I did right today."

"Yeah, thanks," Scamp said, but Angel and Patch looked at each other uncomfortably, and nodding to Scamp, they followed him across the street.

"Is anything wrong, um …" Patch asked.

"Jerry," he introduced himself. "And no," he said a little too quickly. "Why'd you ask?"

Then he stared at them. "Hey, you're those runaway pups, aren't you?" he asked. "The ones who saved our town?"

"I guess you can say that," Scamp said modestly.

Jerry looked at them with a new sense of nervousness. "Um, sorry to bother you."

"Wait a minute," Angel said. "You don't seem happy."

"No, I mean yes! I'm a police dog," he stuttered, bearing his chest out. "What else could I want?"

And this gave Patch an idea. "You feel like you belong here?"

"What? Of course I do … I mean, we've been a police dog family for generations … My dad was, his dad was, my littermates are … And I've been purchased by the cops, so … Yeah. Even though all I want is a nice pet to live with and to give love to ... Argh!" he shouted.

"So let me get this straight," Scamp asked. "You're a police dog because your family has all been police dogs, not because you want to?"

"Yeah I guess … Huh? No, ugh … What I meant was …" Jerry spluttered, but Scamp eyed him knowingly. "Say no more," Scamp said confidently, and he tore into the police department building.

Scamp walked in determinedly. He was instantly comforted by the photo of them at City Hall, which was hanging on the wall behind the entrance desk. Scamp barked to get the clerk's attention, who looked at him.

"You must be Scamp," the clerk said, getting up to feed him a biscuit. "I bet you want to see Maximus, right?"

Scamp barked gratefully, and the clerk went back to get Maximus. Soon, Maximus arrived to greet Scamp.

"Hey son," he said appreciably. "I want to thank you again for all you and your family have done to save our town."

"Thanks," Scamp smiled.

"Now then," Maximus asked. "Is there something you need my help with?"

"Well," Scamp said, a little startled with Maximus' straightforwardness. "It's about Jerry …"

At once, Maximus sighed. "I'm sorry," he said. "What did he do this time?"

"Nothing," Scamp said. "Just … I don't think he doesn't wanna be a police dog."

Scamp wished he hadn't said that, for he half-expected Maximus to yell at him for suggesting that. But to Scamp's surprise, Maximus looked down at him admiringly.

"Do you know what? I think you're right. I've always suspected such, but I appreciate your confirmation. And policing is a full-time job. Your heart has to be fully in it. It requires constant dedication, or else you're no good for that kind of life. Your talents would lie better off elsewhere. Where is he, anyway?"

"Outside," Scamp answered.

"Right," said Maximus, and Scamp followed him out the door.

Jerry was talking with Angel and Patch but upon seeing Maximus, he recoiled. "Boss," Jerry said, hurriedly hunching his shoulders back.

"Hello Jerry," Maximus said kindly, but at once, got straight to the point. "Is it true you're not happy with being a police dog?"

"No! I mean, yes," Jerry said, cowering as Maximus stared penetratingly at him.

"Very well," Maximus said warmly. "I want to thank you for your service, but it is clear to me your talents would be best served elsewhere. You are now officially relieved of your duties. I wish you luck."

And before Jerry could say a word, Maximus gently took off Jerry's police badge before going inside the building, causing Jerry to round on Scamp. "Great! You've just cost me my job! Happy?"

"Well yeah," Scamp answered. "Because now you can go for what you really want! A home!"

"But I won't get a home!" Jerry protested.

"Wanna bet?" Scamp asked as he, Angel and Patch all smirked at him.

"Just wait," Angel smiled. "You're in for a real surprise."

So reluctantly, Jerry followed Scamp, Angel and Patch down the streets of town.

"The first thing about a family," Angel told him. "Is you have to feel like you belong there."

"Yeah, that feeling of belonging is really important," Patch agreed. "So tell us, what kind of pet would you like?"

Jerry sighed. "It'd be asking too much."

"Tell us!" Patch said. "You must've had a dream pet, right?"

Jerry sighed before saying, "Well … I'd like a single pet. One that would give all his attention to me, and I to him. Preferably retired. I don't need long walks or anything as long as I have a yard outside. Just someone who's home all the time who can keep me company." Then he sighed and said, "That's too much to ask."

"No it's not!" Patch said. "I know how important individual attention is. I had a hard time standing out among my 99 brothers and sisters and for the longest time felt like I didn't get enough attention. If that's what will make you happy, you should go for it!"

As they left Main Street and set off down a neighborhood street, they saw many children and puppies playing outside. However as many of them saw Jerry, they drew further back into their backyards. Jerry was confused by this.

"How come no one likes me?" he asked sadly.

Angel however saw it at once. "They don't not like you," she advised. "They're scared of you. You still carry yourself like a police dog, which makes people scared."

"Well, how should I carry myself?"

SONG: Lovey Puppy (to the tune of The Hokey Pokey)

Scamp: You stop right in your tracks

Angel: And feel yourself relax

Patch: You let that tongue hang out

All: And you shake that tail about

All: You be a lovey puppy

All: And you let your spirit out

All: That what it's all about

Scamp: Look like you want to play

Angel: And drive your cares away

Patch: And everyone will say

All: Can I adopt you today

All: You be a lovey puppy

All: And you let your spirit out

All: That's what It's all about!

All: That's what it's all about!

Jerry looked at them confusedly. "I was never told to act like that!"

"No," Patch laughed. "Cop dogs are supposed to be a bit scary. But change your attitude, and no one will be scared of you again!"

"Well, okay," Jerry said, and hesitantly, he let his tongue relax, felt his body grow less stiff, and began to wag his tail. "Am I doing it?" he asked.

"You're getting there!" Scamp said encouragingly.

"How about now?"

"Much better!" Patch said before they all cheered.

"The next step is your dialogue," Angel advised. "Heighten your pitch. And make your barks short. That will let humans know you're greeting them."

"Yeah, and make sure to never growl," Patch said. "Then you're good to go."

"Why don't we try right here?" Scamp asked. "Give a friendly bark and remember that body language!"

So Jerry did, and the effect was immediate. Many of the children went to pet him, and the dogs eyed him curiously. One of them was Daisy, the older cockapoo who was one of the mothers that Perdita had rescued.

"I haven't seen you before," Daisy told Jerry before looking at Scamp, Angel and Patch. "Do you have a new dog in the family?"

"No," Scamp said. "This is our friend Jerry. He was a police dog, but he wants to be a housedog now."

"Yeah, he's looking for a home with a single human who's home all day, no other dogs, and a yard outside," Patch ticked off.

"Know of any home like that?" Angel asked.

To their surprise, Daisy laughed. "Why, I know just the place! Widow O'Hara just lost her dog Grady. A German shepherd just like you, actually. She could really use another canine companion right now, she's home all day, has no other dogs, and a yard outside. She lives in a brick house two blocks from here."

Jerry could only look at her in shock, so the pups thanked Daisy before heading off to the brick house. They quickly found it. A cobblestone path led to the house, which Jerry approached nervously.

"Go for it!" Angel urged.

"Yeah, you can do it!" Scamp said.

"Good luck!" exclaimed Patch.

Jerry looked gratefully back at all three of them, before sitting on the path, practicing his friendly body language, before giving a few friendly barks.

At once the door opened, and Widow O'Hara emerged and saw Jerry. "Oh my goodness! Who are you?" she asked him. As he gave her puppy eyes, she chuckled. "Why, you are a charmer. Like my old Grady … But you don't have a collar! I know! I'll check with the vet and if you don't have an owner, you can live with me! How does that sound?"

Jerry barked happily, and gave the pups a thankful look as they all beamed at him as he followed his new pet inside. They waited for a little while to make sure nothing went wrong. But nothing happened, causing each of them to get more excited.

"I think he's adopted!" Angel cheered.

"All right!" Scamp said, and all three pups yipped in delight.

Later that day as they returned to Park Avenue, they were surprised to see that everyone else was waiting for them.

"Word travels fast," Pongo smiled at them. "We've heard all about what you pups did for Jerry today."

"He's adopted then?" Scamp asked.

"Yes," Lady smiled. "And he couldn't be happier."

Just then Clara, the vet's border collie, ran over to approach them. "Well done, pups. Maximus has told me everything."

"Well, we promised to help every dog who wants a home find one," Angel said, as she, Scamp and Patch all thought back to the speeches made to the ex-wild pups.

"And we're gonna keep that promise!" Scamp said determinedly.

"Indeed," Clara said admirably. "In that case, I'd like to ask all of you a favor."

"Sure, what is it?" Cadpig asked.

"I'd like to refer strays to you as place for them to go to if they need help finding a family," Clara said. "Is that all right?"

Everyone agreed, and Clara smiled. "Thank you so much. It's an enormous responsibility, but it's something I'm sure I can trust you with." Then she headed back home to the vet's.

"Scamp, I think we all wanna hear about how you three helped Jerry find a home," Tramp asked.

"Well, okay!" Scamp answered excitedly, and at once, he launched into telling the story. But as they all listened, they knew that this was only the first pet their family found a home for. And all of them, sooner or later, wanted to try their own paw at helping someone find their forever home.


	6. Lady and the Harp

**Episode 5 - Lady and the Harp**

With a deafening crash, the thunder rattled Jim Dear and Darling's kitchen's windows as the wind howled outside. Startling all the pups awake, they rushed toward one another to a hug in the middle of the kitchen.

"That blast was really scary," Puffball said, shivering.

"Yeah," Collette agreed. "I hate thunder."

The parents meanwhile too woke up. "It's okay children," Lady said, instantly walking up to the puppies and nuzzling each of them in turn. "We're all safe and sound inside, and once you go back to sleep, it will all be over."

"And you'll have a new day to look forward to," Spunky added.

"Yes, but how can we get back to sleep with this storm outside?" Annette asked as on cue it thundered again.

"Let me try somethin'," Peg said, stretching out her legs, clearing her throat.

"Mama! Are you going to sing my lullaby?" Angel asked excitedly.

"Sure am, Angel," Peg smiled, and once the pups crawled back into bed, she began to sing:

*Sleep dear pups and peace attend thee, all through the night*

*Our true love we will send to thee, all through the night*

*Soft the drowsy hours are creeping, hill and dale in slumber sleeping*

*We our loving vigil keeping, all through the night*

Peg continued for another couple verses, and by the time she was finished, all the pups were completely asleep.

"Wow Peg, I've never heard you sing like that!" Spunky exclaimed.

"Oh, just an old tune I picked up," Peg said. "You don't know how much I sung that to Angel when she was little, but it did the trick every time."

"Well I can see why," Lady said admiringly. "You're a wonderful singer, and that is such a nice song."

"Thank you, dearie," Peg said, before yawning. "Night."

"Night," the other parents said before they drifted off to sleep.

Next morning, Jim Dear got a phone call. "Right … Oh Mom, you shouldn't … You sure? Oh, all right. Thank you so much!" Jim Dear hung up the phone. "Darling, you'd never guess what happened!"

"What is it Jim Dear?" Darling asked as she finished preparing the porridge.

"Well, she's decided to give us her old harp," Jim Dear said.

"Why, that's really nice of her," Darling said in surprise. "Did you play it much?"

"Not really," Jim Dear said. "But I always liked the sound of my mother playing it, and to tell you the truth, I miss it. Maybe I should learn to play it myself now. Or you can too, Darling. It's great instrument."

"Maybe I will," Darling said. "You should tell Roger about it. You know how much he likes instruments."

"I guess I'll pick it up today then," Jim Dear said.

The puppies looked at the adults curiously. "Mom, what's a harp?" Scamp asked.

"I don't know," Lady said, looking to the other adults for guidance, however all looked as perplexed as Lady did.

As Darling shuffled items in the living room to make room for the harp, everyone went outside, and hurriedly told all of Roger and Anita and Thomas and Anna's pets about the harp. Like them, most of the others didn't know what a harp was. Rebecca however, was quite enthusiastic.

"Oh goodness gracious, you are very lucky!" Rebecca exclaimed. "We had harps in De Vil Ville, and they are the most beautiful of instruments."

Later that day, Jim Dear returned and everyone was gathered around the back of the car to see the harp. When he and Darling pulled the harp out, they saw it was much bigger than they expected.

"Oh my, that harp is so gorgeous!" Collette cooed as XL added, "I wanna try playing it!"

Lady in particular couldn't help but to stare at it. Its beautiful, soft curves and long, elegant strings were nothing like anything she had ever seen before. Transfixed, Lady sat there until Tramp tapped her. "Come on Pidge!" he exclaimed as everyone else had gotten into the house to clear the way for Jim Dear and Darling to get the harp through.

"Oh right," Lady said slowly, and she shuffled inside.

Jim Dear and Darling set up the harp in the back corner of the living room, and Darling began dusting it off, revealing a soft cherry color. Jim Dear, meanwhile, began telling the other humans about it, and they gathered to examine it.

"Wow, it's a real beauty," Roger said. "Mind if I test it?"

Jim Dear acquiesced, and Roger said, "Let's see, this is the C string … " Then he plucked it, and as the string gently vibrated, it let out a rich, dulcet tone.

Lady couldn't help but gasp. Perdita smiled at Lady. "You like it?"

"That's the most beautiful sound I've heard," Lady said incredulously, staring at it.

Roger however said, "Seems in good condition, but it needs a proper tune-up. I guess I'll take care of it now," and he began to adjust the tuning pins. Darling walked over to the piano and began to play notes, while in turn, Roger plucked the corresponding string. Each time he plucked, Lady could only watch in wonder until he finished. Jim Dear meanwhile found a music stand and stool, which he placed in front of the harp, while Darling found a simple songbook in the piano bench and gave it to Anna, who flipped through the pages thoughtfully.

"Oh I remember this song!" she exclaimed. "I had a music box that played it."

"Here, you can play it if you wish," Jim Dear said.

"Each string is one step up or down from the last," Roger added.

"Really? Thank you," Anna said brightly before sitting down on the harp's stool, and then after a moment's hesitation, began to play Beautiful Dreamer. Her first attempt was unsteady, but as she repeated it, her playing grew more and more confident. Everyone in the room, human and pet alike, became soothed by the sweet, lilting tune, and only stopped when she said, "Uh-oh, looks like I've got some calluses!" and everyone laughed.

After saying their goodbyes, everyone went back home. By then it was late in the day. Jim Dear and Darling, tired out from cleaning the house and bringing the harp in, didn't play the harp for the rest of the day. Before they knew it, it was nighttime, and all the dogs headed to the kitchen, where they lay down to sleep.

But Lady couldn't sleep. The way Anna played that harp evoked so much wonder in her that she couldn't stop repeating that beautiful melody in her head. As she saw everyone else was sound asleep, she figured, _"It couldn't hurt to take a look at the harp, could it?"_

So quietly, she shuffled out of bed, passed her sleeping family, and made her way to the living room. The lights were off but Lady knew where the switch was, so she turned them on. Then she walked over to the harp and just stared at it.

It was a little hard to see anything but wood at ground level, so Lady climbed onto the low stool so she could see the whole instrument. The strings were delicate, yet at the same time, were unquestionably of fine quality as they glittered in front of her. Transfixed, Lady couldn't resist any longer, and she gently pawed at one of the strings, letting off a beautiful note in front of her.

Hurriedly looking to make sure no one noticed, Lady saw no one did and went back to staring at the harp. She had to know what each of those strings did. Standing on her hind legs, she played several notes one after another, remembering what Roger had said, that each note was one step up or down from the previous. Seeing this, Lady began to hum along with the notes and before she knew it, she was performing scales and arpeggios.

Then it occurred to her. With this harp, she could play melody she wanted! Thinking to herself, she remembered the tune that Peg had sung to her, warning her of Tramp's unreliable past. Smiling to herself in relief on how wrong Peg, Jock, Trusty, and so many others once were, she decided to give the old tune a makeover to express her feelings about her mate. It took a little while to find all the right notes and brainstorm the words, but at last, she was able to put it all together:

*He's a tramp, but I love him*

*Warms up my heart every day*

*He's a tramp, I adore him*

*And I know he'll always stay that way*

*He's a tramp, he's a lover*

*He's a charmer, he's a dad*

*He's a tramp, but I love him*

*And he truly makes me feel really glad*

*They told me you would be cast aside*

*You'd only get plenty of trouble*

"They didn't know the dog inside*

*He and I are truly double*

*He's a tramp*

*And it's true that*

"There aren't enough words to say*

*If he's a tramp*

*He's a good one*

*And I know our love will always stay*

*Know our love will always stay*

*Know our love will always stay*

Lady didn't know how to play sharps and flats, so the tune sounded somewhat different, but it sounded happier, better for the new lyrics and the harp anyway. Her heart warmed, she rested her paws upon the string and smiled, just reveling in how happy she was. She never expressed herself quite like that, and it was a new experience to her. She didn't know what could possibly get her out of this state of bliss. Until she heard a voice mutter, "That was beautiful, Pidge."

Shocked, Lady turned and saw Tramp, who had been watching her the whole time. Blushing embarrassedly, she inadvertently bumped into the harp as she returned to all fours and got off the stool, causing it to wobble but fortunately not collapse.

"Tramp, I …. I …." she stuttered.

"You sound wonderful, Pidge," Tramp said in awe.

Lady could only stutter, her heart fluttering like butterflies, "Thank you … But I truly am not very good."

"Pidge, you played and sung from your heart!" Tramp exclaimed. "That's good enough for me."

"Oh Tramp," Lady said, before running to him and they cuddled. "Just promise to keep this a secret? I don't feel confident playing."

"My lips are sealed," Tramp promised. "Though trust me, you sound great. I'll even try to help get everyone out of the house sometimes to give you time to practice."

"Thank you so much …. I love you Tramp," Lady said, snuggling into him.

"I love you too Pigeon," Tramp said warmly.

Then Lady looked up from his fur and saw the rising sun. "It's morning," Lady exclaimed, realizing she had been playing all night long.

"Yep," Tramp said. "Everyone else is still asleep. Now come on, let's get to bed so no one'll know what happened."

Neither the humans nor the other dogs seemed to know anything happened at breakfast, making Lady feel much better. All the same, she could barely stay awake as all the puppies began to happily chat among themselves. She was so tired she couldn't discern a word of their conversation.

That day as the puppies played, Lady could only doze. Tramp told Peg and Spunky that Lady needed to rest, and they quickly understood. But upon dinnertime, Lady began to wake up.

"Mom, you missed all the action!" Scamp cheered. "I ran up and down the street with the kite in my mouth and didn't drop it once!"

"Oh … Why, that's lovely Scamp!" Lady exclaimed, as all the while, the sound of a harp began to tinkle in the back of her mind.

Tramp gave her a reassuring look signaling everything was all right, making Lady feel much better.

After dinner, they all went to the living room, upon which Jim Dear and Darling decided to play the harp once again. Lady sighed sweetly as the others dozed around, though perhaps it was her imagination, but Annette seemed to be especially charmed by it.

As everyone went to bed that night, Lady once again pretended to go to sleep, but as soon as she saw that everyone was sleeping, she crept out of bed and approached the harp again. Playing her warm-ups, Lady realized that Jim Dear and Darling had played some other notes she had never been able to do. Sniffing, she smelled both of their shoes on the ground pedals. It would be a challenge for her to reach both the strings and the pedals, but as she scooted the stool over to the pedals and stretched one back paw as far down as it would go, she found she was still able to reach the pedals while sitting on the stool. As she struck strings while stepping on the pedals, she discovered all the missing notes, and by humming along to each string, she learned where each note was.

As she looked outside she saw how peaceful the night was, with a soft black sky and no storm to speak of. Sighing gently, she thought about what to play next, and then it occurred to her. The one song that meant more to her than any other. She had no trouble recalling it, and within a few hours of practice, she was able to create her own bella notte.

She sighed dreamily, and began to think about performing this to Tramp …..Until a voice asked, "Mom?"

Lady turned and saw that Annette was standing tentatively at the edge of the living room. Hurriedly, Lady rushed over. "Good heavens Annette. What are you doing up at this hour?"

"Well, I woke up in the middle of the night. But I couldn't get back to sleep, for I heard the most beautiful harp playing!"

"Oh," Lady said, blushing. "Sorry for keeping you up, Annette."

"No, no!" Annette smiled. "I wanna learn how to play it!"

"You do?" Lady asked, surprised.

"Yeah!" Annette cheered. "I want to try something out!"

Lady looked at Annette carefully. "You promise to be extra careful with it?"

Annette nodded as Lady asked, "And would you please not tell anyone but your dad about this? Only he and you know I play, and I'm a bit self-conscious,"

Annette nodded understandingly. "I promise!"

Lady stroked her daughter affectionately. "I'm so glad to hear you want to play too! I need to get a little more practice in, but I'd love to teach you what I learned tomorrow, alright?"

"Sure, and thanks Mom." Annette said as she and Lady nuzzled each other.

"Anything for you, sweetheart," Lady cooed.

"Can I watch you play?" Annette asked eagerly.

"Of course you can," Lady beamed to her daughter.

So Annette watched as Lady began to think of a good song to teach her. She then remembered Beautiful Dreamer that Anna played, and began to work on that. All the while Annette looked on as Lady made her magic, quietly wowing with amazement every now and then. And to her surprise, Lady found herself appreciating Annette's presence. Rather than simply expressing her own feelings, she was now sharing her music with someone she loved. Before they both knew it, the clock chimed five times, and soon after, Tramp arrived.

"Wow Pidge, you're getting really good," Tramp said brightly. "Can you do a song for me?"

"Well, I'll try," Lady said, and she began to play and sing what she had practiced that night.

*Oh this is the night*

*It's a beautiful night*

*And we call it bella notte*

*Look at the skies*

*We have stars in our eyes*

*On this lovely bella notte*

*Side by side with my loved one*

*We'll find enchantment here*

*The night will weave its magic spell*

*When the one I love is near*

*Oh this is the night*

*And the heavens are bright*

*On this lovely bella notte*

As she finished, Tramp could only stare at her in shock. "Pidge," Tramp said, still in shock. "That was … absolutely beautiful!"

Lady blushed and smiled and she and Tramp nuzzled each other. "To think you've had this talent all this time! I … I don't have words to say!"

Then Tramp noticed Annette watching them. "Annette!" Tramp he said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"It's all right, Tramp," Lady smiled. "Annette is in on our secret."

"And Mom will give me lessons!" Annette exclaimed.

As Tramp nodded in understanding, Lady asked, "I don't suppose you can get everyone of the house tomorrow, could you?"

"Sure, I'll take care of that," Tramp said before saying to them both, "Well, I hope you'll have fun!"

"Oh we will!" Annette said excitedly as Lady nodded, and then the three of them headed back to their dog beds, waiting for the new day to start.

The next morning, Tramp wasted no time in setting up his plan. "Who wants to go to the pet store and check out the stuff?"

The response elicited cheers from the pups. "Yeah!" Scamp said. "I could use some new chew toys!"

"And treats!" Puffball added.

"And new ribbons, right Annette?" Collette asked.

"Actually, I'll be staying here," Annette yawned. "Too sleepy."

"Don't worry, I'll stay with you," Lady said.

Danielle looked at Annette in shock. "Since when've you ever turned down ribbons?"

"I just don't feel like it today," Annette said.

Collette and Danielle looked at each other confusedly. Luckily, no one else seemed to give it any more thought.

"Well kids, you ready?" Peg asked as they all nodded.

"Let's get their attention!" Spunky exclaimed brightly, and so they did. After they finished their breakfast, Jim Dear and Darling put Junior in the stroller and leashed all the other dogs. Seeing that Lady and Annette did not want to be leashed, Jim Dear and Darling left them, and everyone else went off, and Lady and Annette approached the harp. The two climbed onto the stool as they examined the strings together.

"See how I play this string?" Lady told Annette. "This string always makes that note. But if you play this string," Lady pointed to the string on one side, letting Annette pluck it. "It's one note lower," Annette observed.

"Yes!" Lady said, smiling. "And if you play this one," Lady pointed to the string on the other as Annette observed, "It's one note higher."

"Uh-huh!" Lady said eagerly. "Now sing with me," she said, leading Annette into a scale.

"Each one of those notes matches a string on the harp," Lady explained. "The other notes can be played with the pedals, which you'll be able to reach once you get older or we find a shorter stool for you. But for now, why don't we start off with Beautiful Dreamer?"

Lady got off the stool and let Annette have the full tune. "You remember the tune, don't you?" Lady asked to which Annette nodded.

"So start off with the string right in front of you," Lady advised. "Then .."

"I go one that way because the next note is one down, right? And then I hit the first string again?"

"Very good!" Lady smiled. "The next notes are a little trickier. Know what they are?"

Annette paused, thinking for a while before she said, "I go three down … And then another two down?"

"You're doing wonderfully!" Lady exclaimed. "Keep finding the notes, and you will soon be playing the whole song."

Lady watched Annette as she figured out the rest of the tune. Occasionally she had to gently correct Annette on a couple of notes, but it didn't take long for Annette to correct her mistakes. Soon, she was able to complete all the notes. Then she tried playing the whole song from start to finish, and eventually was able to play the tune without missing a note.

"Well done!" Lady beamed at her. "You are playing absolutely beautifully!"

"I don't sound quite right though," Annette said.

"True," Lady said, "But that comes with practice. Once you have learned all the notes, you can practice your timing and rhythm. You can focus on putting feeling into each note, and if you play from the heart, you will find this comes naturally. Or you can improvise, like how Peg sometimes does when she sings. No matter what, always play what makes you feel happy. If you do that, I know you'll love playing the harp just as much as I do."

"Great," Annette said. "My paws are getting a little tired," she said at last. "Could you play another song for me?"

"I would love to," Lady smiled, pondering a bit before she saw Annette rest on a nearby pillow, giving her the idea to sing a familiar lullaby. "La la lu … La la lu … Oh my little star sweeper … I'll sweep the stardust for you."

"Hey Mom!" Danielle came bounding in an hour or so later. "You wouldn't guess the haul we got! Jim Dear and Darling got the extra savory treats!"

"That's wonderful," Lady said, stroking her fur. As she lifted her paw to stroke Danielle, Angel saw something strange on Lady's paw. "Lady, your paw! Are you all right?"

"Why yes," Lady said as the other pups crowded around her concernedly. Lifting up her paw, she saw that her pads had grown some calluses on them, just the width of the harp strings.

"What are those?" Puffball asked.

"Don't worry pups, it's nothing to worry about," Lady said, remembering how unconcerned Anna's reaction was about hers.

"Yeah," Annette said hurriedly, catching on. "Now come on! I'm hungry, aren't you?"

That evening, Lady was growing very tired. Between two long nights and a day of teaching, she was losing her balance as she walked as her eyes drooped as she ambled down the hallway. It all came to a head when she walked right into Spunky in the hallway.

"Oh dear!" Lady said in surprise. "Spunky, I'm so sorry!"

"No worries," Spunky told Lady calmly, but his expression was much more concerned. "You look really beat though. Why don't you take a rest?"

Lady nodded and she went to her bed early and rested. Drowsily, she watched everyone else settle into bed a few hours later, but most of the pups were too energetic to go to sleep.

"I've got this," Peg told Lady, Tramp and Spunky, and she began to sing All Through The Night again.

"Soft the drowsy hours are creeping …"

"Hill and dale in slum … Oh!" Lady gasped, suddenly realizing that she had been humming the tune the whole time, and that the other puppies besides Annette were staring at her. Luckily, Peg gave Lady a reassuring nod before finishing the tune "

Soon, the other puppies were tucked in their beds, and seeing everyone calmly resting, Lady approached the harp again. She had nearly blown her cover, for while Peg was singing, she subconsciously hummed along to prepare to play it on the harp. But now that the pups were asleep, she could play the piece in earnest.

Unbeknownst to her however, the puppies were not asleep at all, only pretending to be, for they were far too concerned about Lady's strange behavior to go to sleep easily.

"Do you think she's all right?" Collette asked as soon as Lady slipped out of the kitchen.

"She doesn't seem herself lately," Angel agreed.

"I'm sure she's just fine," Annette said.

"Well, I wanna just check on her to make sure," Scamp said determinedly.

Before Annette could say anything else, the other pups agreed and scampered out of the kitchen. "No wait!" she cried out, but they were out of earshot, and this only awoke Tramp, Peg and Spunky. Then the other five puppies saw Lady, causing them to collectively gasp. Turning, Lady saw each of them watching her intently, Annette looking apologetically at her.

"H…. Hello children," Lady said nervously, but the puppies only stared at her.

"You were really playing that?" Scamp asked excitedly.

"Well, yes," Lady said modestly,

"I think it's great!" Angel exclaimed.

"You play it really nice!" Puffball said.

"Do you really think that?" Lady asked, unable to believe it.

"Well, yeah! Of course we do!" Danielle answered.

"Mom's a great teacher too," Annette said gratefully.

"You mean Mom's teaching you how to play?" Collette asked, first looking to Annette and then Lady as she could just sigh, "Wow! I wonder If I could play it?"

"Ooh, you wanna play for XL?" Danielle teased, causing Collette to slap her with one of her ears, but she too was smiling. "Well, maybe."

Tramp, Peg and Spunky then arrived, and the puppies clambered over to the other adults.

"Mama, did you know Lady can play the harp?" Angel asked, shocked.

"No I didn't," Peg said, impressed, as she smiled and went over to hug Lady. "That's really great, dearie! I'm not the only musician anymore! We should duet sometime, you on the harp and me singing! Or the reverse! I love your singing voice, and I'd love it if you'd teach me how to play the harp!"

"Well, now it'll sound like the pound again," Spunky teased, causing everyone to laugh. "But seriously, congratulations Lady!"

"You really don't mind?" Lady asked. "Any of you?"

"Not for an instant, Pidge," Tramp said as everyone else agreed. "We all love you, and if you love playing the harp, we'll love that about you too."

"Not to mention you sound so sweet!" Danielle cheered as Lady blushed, appreciating the complement.

"I don't know what to say," Lady said, smiling gratefully.

"Well, how about you play that song you were working on?" Tramp suggested.

"All right," Lady answered, and she performed a round of All Through The Night, before they all began taking turns singing and trying their paw at the harp. And indeed, they were a very happy together, all through the night.


	7. Visit From The Future

**Episode 6 – Visit From The Future**

Late one twilight, XL and Collette were walking down the sidewalks, having just gotten home from a long date. The hours they spent lazily passing by the river felt like a blur, for they were so absorbed with one another they lost any sense of time. Eventually though, they saw that it was very dark.

"Goodnight, sweetie," Collette whispered in XL's ear, pawing XL's chin up and stroking it, before he moved to tickle her ears, causing her to giggle and smile sweetly. Then they went back into their own houses.

"Hello Collette," Lady greeted her as Collette strode in. "Had a beautiful night?"

"Oh yes," Collette sighed dreamily.

Just then, Danielle popped in. "You didn't make puppies, did you?" she teased.

"Danielle!" Lady cried as Danielle sniggered. Collette, knowing Danielle didn't mean any harm, answered her normally. "No … But it was a lovely night all the same. And maybe we will someday. Just like you and Puffy might."

Danielle went red, yawned loudly and muttered something about needing to go to sleep before trotting off to bed.

Lady smiled at Danielle before turning back to Collette. "Well, I'm going to bed too"

Collette nodded. "Me too Mom. Night."

As Collette slipped into bed, she watched her two mated siblings sleep with their mates comfortably. Scamp always tussled and turned in his sleep and was prone to vivid dreams, but whereas it had previously been out of angst, it was now much less that and more of excitement. Angel meanwhile always snuggled closely to him, giving the support he truly needed. Danielle likewise often rolled wildly, but Puffball's calming presence was always there to stabilize her. As Cadpig would put it, the two couples were like yin and yang, and she had no trouble imagining their pups in the future.

Collette however wondered about her own situation. While she did love XL, she did wonder … Could a dog and a fox have pups together? Sure there were dogs who looked like foxes and in XL's case a fox who acted like a dog, but it was not the same thing. "And what would our children look like?" she thought to herself. Perhaps they could like either her or XL, like she and her siblings looked like either her mom or dad. Or perhaps they could look like Angel, a cross of her parents' features. She pondered this for a while before finally falling asleep.

* * *

Next morning at the Radcliffe house, Lucky woke up early. Stretching in bed, he awoke Two-Tone, who promptly licked his cheek. "Morning Lucky!" she whispered.

"Morning Two-Tone," Lucky smiled. Looking around, they saw the others were asleep.

"Have I told you how well I've been sleeping?" Two-Tone asked Lucky. "This sure beats sleeping in a barn … "

"Yeah, I've been sleeping well too," Lucky said. "Especially with you by my side," he said, causing her to giggle. "I can't believe Mom and Dad let us sleep together now."

"Yeah, it's really awesome," Two-Tone agreed, and the two affectionately rubbed against each other. Then however, a blinding flicker of light occurred.

"You saw that?" Two-Tone asked as Lucky nodded.

"Come on, let's check it out," Lucky said determinedly.

As Lucky and Two-Tone went outside, they found two pups sitting in the middle of the road. Both looked very dazed, as if they had been on a long journey. The two pups looked unlike anyone Lucky and Two-Tone had seen before.

The first one almost looked like a fox, if it wasn't for her muzzle and shape she would've been mistaken for one thanks to her pointed ears and tall shape. Her fur was crimson with velvet brown paws, her tail was big and fluffy with a white tip, her muzzle and underbelly were a lighter shade of brown, and she also had a fringe of fur on her head that was sky blue.

The second pup was smaller compared to the first. She almost looked like a cocker spaniel pup, and her fur was crimson as well but had patches of brown on her body. Her underbelly and muzzle were light brown, her ears were velvety and brown, her tail had a light brown tip, while her paws were tipped white.

Two-Tone approached them. "Hi, who are you?"

"Luna," the first said.

"Belle," said the second.

"Nice to meet you!" she exclaimed as Lucky approached. "I'm Two-Tone."

"And I'm Lucky," Lucky introduced himself.

What the two dalmatian pups did not expect was for the newcomers to look at each other in panic and hurl themselves into the bushes. Confusedly, Lucky and Two-Tone looked at each other

"Hey Lucky, Two-Tone!" Rolly called out from the house. "It's time for you know what!"

"Coming Rolly," Lucky said.

During breakfast, Lucky and Two-Tone explained to the others about these strange pups. "So they just took off once we introduced ourselves," Lucky explained.

"I wonder why that is?" Penny asked..

"Yeah, no one should be scared of us," Patch added.

"Ye said ye saw some light?" Rebecca asked. "Maybe they came here by magic."

"But if they did, why did they run off?" Two-Tone asked.

The discussion however was ended when they heard some rattling in the garage. The humans heard it too, and Roger said, "I'm gonna see what that is."

To everyone's shock, he came back with the two strange pups, one in each hand. Both were covered in paint and looked scared and confused. "It's a pair of strays," Roger explained.

"The poor dears," Nanny sighed. "Why don't we give them breakfast."

So Luna and Belle ate as everyone watched them curiously. "Sorry if we scared you," Lucky said as Two-Tone nodded.

"It's okay," Belle said shyly.

"Well why don't we have some introductions?" Cadpig chirped. "My name's Cadpig!"

"I'm Rolly," Rolly said warmly.

"Greetings, I am Rebecca," she bowed.

"I'm Patch!' Patch cheerily said.

"My name is Penny," she introduced.

"And you met us," Lucky said as Two-Tone nodded.

"I'm Luna," the pointy eared sister said as her floppy-eared sister nodded and said, "I'm Belle."

"Well, if you don't have anywhere to go, why don't you meet our neighbors?" Pongo suggested.

Belle and Luna looked at each other confusedly but agreed.

Pongo went to get the Browns' and Bournes' attention while Perdita inspected the newcomers, ensuring they'd look nice for their neighbors. Jim Dear and Darling came out with their pups first. For some reason, Belle and Luna, who already seemed quite nervous, were even more nervous with these newcomers. Every dog introduced themselves. At last, only the sisters were left.

"Hi, my name's Annette," Annette, taking the initiative. "And these are my sisters Collette and Danielle."

"Hi!" they both said.

Belle and Luna however, didn't respond. Instead, they began hurriedly whispering to one another, taking fervent glances at the triplets. "What is it?" Danielle asked bewilderedly.

"I don't know," Collette said, staring at the sisters.

Annette then approached. "Are you all right?" she asked.

"Yeah," Luna said as Belle nodded.

Then Thomas and Anna and their pups arrived. Once again, everyone introduced themselves, until XL said at the end, "Hi, I'm XL. I may be a fox, but I'm really just like a dog."

Again, the sisters began hurriedly muttering to each other, leaving everyone very confused. Seeing everyone watching them, Luna quickly said, "There's nothing to worry about. We're fine."

Everyone then went to Thomas and Anna's backyard and played all sorts of games. It was playing old favorites like pups and dogcatchers with new pups, the pups being sure to let Luna and Belle enjoy special roles in all their games. All the while, Luna and Belle continued to look like they were in disbelief and were having the time of their lives. Eventually though, Luna and Belle excused themselves, having run out of energy and for some reason still feeling a little nervous.

"That was … Something …" Luna whispered to Belle.

"Yeah," Belle agreed. "It really is them … Do you think we should head back?"

"Yeah I guess," Luna said. However, when they got to the front door, they found all of the adults chatting on the front porch. CiCi noticed them. "Hi you two! You can come join us if you like."

Luna and Belle moved to sit in between CiCi's paws. To her surprise, both Luna and Belle seemed to know exactly where to sit. After the parents went around and introduced themselves, the pups were lounging contentedly on CiCi's paws. CiCi was confused, it was almost as though the pups knew her really well.

"Pongo and Perdita were just telling us how their pets found you," Lady said. "We'd be happy to help you find a new home if you wish."

The pups looked blankly at each other before Tramp explained, "Yeah, I know street life can be awesome, but if you're looking for a home, you'll have no problem in our town!"

"But we're not streetdogs," Belle whispered before Luna looked at her, and Belle stopped.

"There ain't anything wrong with being streetdogs," Peg consoled them. "Believe it or not, Spunky, Tramp and I spent much of our lives as streetdogs."

"But there are a lot of dog lovers here now," Spunky smiled. "All we need to do is take you to some houses, and you'll find some pets lickety-split. So are you ready to find them?"

Belle and Luna looked at each other before Belle said, "Uh … Thanks, but we're okay."

"Well, hope to see you some time soon," Leo said as everyone else agreed.

After another round of games with the pups, the two said they were going to head into town for a while. As everyone was about to say goodbye to them, they heard two familiar voices carrying down the street. Hurriedly, Lucky and Two-Tone grabbed Luna and Belle by their scruffs and placed them behind everyone else.

"That was an awesome raid," Mooch laughed. "I can't believe all the trouble we can get into beyond this town's borders. Both of them were just finishing hot dogs they were chewing sadistically.

"Those pups were so easy to trick," Vendella laughed before she mocked, "Can you help me, please, please, please?" as they both roared in laughter.

"That's Vendella and Mooch," Lucky warned her. "You better stay out of their way."

"We know," Luna interrupted. "They've been bothering Mom and Dad since before we were born, and they always come to our door …" she trailed off as Belle hurriedly stepped on her tail, and her eyes widened as she fully realized what she said. Freezing up, she spluttered, "That is … Uh … I mean …"

Before she could say another word though however, Mooch noticed everyone out on the front step. Cockily walking up, he said, "Surprise pups. We're back."

"We'll call our pets Mooch," Pongo warned.

"Maybe," Vendella said. "But not before we get our paws on one of you."

Immediately, everyone circled defensively around Lucky and Two-Tone, knowing the two of them were the most likely targets. Mooch and Vendella just smirked. "Oh we'll get you all right," Mooch laughed. "But not today."

And without warning, he charged at XL, who was taken aback by the sudden attack. Luckily, XL backed away just in time for Mooch to miss, and he scampered down the steps and off into the street. Growling, Mooch followed. The others tried to help, but Vendella blocked the front steps from anyone. Hurriedly, they barked to alert people, but nobody seemed to respond as Vendella howled to block their barks out.

Then suddenly, Luna zipped between Vendella's legs and took after Mooch and XL. Mooch had cornered XL and was preparing to take a swing, but with a running start, Luna charged into Mooch. The two of them landed in a deep puddle,which suddenly turned red with their landing. As Luna got out, everyone stared at her. Where her tuft had previously been red, it was now sky blue, and where her tall tip was red it was now white. Realizing this, Luna recoiled.

"Hey," Danielle pointed out. "Luna has XL's blue tuft and foxy tail! And Belle looks a lot like us! That means … You're their mom, Collette!"

"Me?" Collette asked incredulously. "But that can't be …" but her voice trailed off as she saw that both Luna and Belle looked panicked.

"Stay back mutts if you know what's good for you," Vendella warned, before she moved in to join Mooch in cornering XL and Luna. Before she could reach them however, Belle ran out and tripped Vendella in her tracks.

"Why you …" Vendella growled, but as Mooch and Vendella looked, they saw that everyone had surrounded them in a circle.

"Last warning," CiCi said. "Let them go or we'll tell everyone who's responsible for this."

Seeing that they were surrounded, Mooch growled, "It's not worth it."

"We'll be back when you least expect!" Vendella warned, to which they ran away.

When Mooch and Vendella vanished, Danielle approached them. "So are you or aren't you?" she asked excitedly.

"Are what?" Belle asked, pretending to be ignorant.

"Collette and XL's kids, of course!" Danielle asked.

Luna and Belle looked at each other, before sighing, "Yes."

XL and Collette both grew hot and while XL's red fur was able to conceal his embarrassment, Collette turned a visible shade of scarlet. Stammering, Collette said, "I … I … But … How? I'm too young to have puppies."

"They must have gone back in time," Rebecca realized. "Did Shala and Belinda send you here?"

"Uh …. I don't know if we can share that yet," Belle said, to which Rebecca understood, knowing how time travel was such a delicate matter.

"We're sorry for not telling you we were your kids," Luna said.

"That's okay," XL said. "I don't know if Collette and I would've believed it."

"Hey, do Puffy and I have any kids?" Danielle asked excitedly.

"Yes …" Luna said before Belle shook her head and Luna said, "Oops," to which Danielle began to stutter and Puffball looked down to hide his scarlet face.

"We should probably be going … Well, home now," Belle said.

"Yes," Luna said, and they went to the middle of the street.

"Goodbye everyone!" Luna said, before Belle shouted, "Bye Mom and Dad!"

Then with a blinding flash of light, they were gone, leaving Collette and XL blushing furiously.

Later that evening, Collette and XL were alone on Thomas and Anna's front porch. Sitting on the swinging porch bench, both of them were so were moved by the day's events that their hearts were still beating and they were blushing fiercely despite the cool, calm night.

"Did you think we were going to have kids, XL?" Collette asked.

"I didn't know … If foxes and dogs could have pups," XL confessed.

"Me neither," Collette smiled. "But I'm so glad we will, aren't you?"

"Yep," XL nodded. "And we'll be seeing them again."

"You're right," Collette smiled. "Some day, when the time is right." Then the two of them cuddled up to each other as the bench swung happily back and forth


	8. Triple Pup Stars

**Episode 7 – Triple Pup Stars**

One cloudy Sunday, it was pouring rain outside of Roger and Anita's house, so most of the family wasn't in the mood to play. After breakfast was over, Pongo and Perdita lay with Roger and Anita on the couch, surveying the scene sleepily. Rolly, having his usual large helping, was contentedly laying besides the couch, still savoring the meal he had just eaten. Cadpig was meditating peacefully, focusing on her breathing as she sat, entranced in a deep chant. Penny was quietly rolling a little ball around back and forth, while Two-Tone and Rebecca were happily chatting.

However, two pups were not in the mood for this serene picture. Lucky and Patch were standing with their front paws on the window ledge, desperately hoping for the rain to stop. They wanted to play outside, but they knew Roger and Anita would not be happy if they came inside soaking wet. As the rain continued to pour, they looked outside helplessly.

"I'm bored," Lucky said hopelessly.

"Me too," Patch groaned. "What could possibly happen on a day like this?"

Then the doorbell rang. "Nanny, can you get it?" Roger asked sleepily.

Nanny went and opened it. Inside came a visitor, and just by his scent, Lucky and Patch knew who it was.

"Thunderbolt!" they both exclaimed, rushing toward him the moment he took a step on the front rug.

"Hello you two," Thunderbolt smiled. "You're just the pups I want to see right now. I'd love it if you guys would spend the day with me to film an episode of my TV series."

"Really?" they both asked as Thunderbolt gave a big smile and nodded. "You want to do it?"

"Yeah!" Patch and Lucky both cheered at once.

"Great, just let me ask your parents and I'll explain everything," Thunderbolt said.

After asking Pongo and Perdita and getting their agreement, Thunderbolt took them outside. The downpour was still noticeable, chilling their fur, but they hardly noticed as Thunderbolt looked at them excitedly.

"Now the thing is, I need three guest stars on the show today," Thunderbolt said. "I see the rest of your family doesn't look up to it, but I know you've got a lot of awesome friends. Can you think of someone who you'd think like to join us?"

"Well," Lucky said, not exactly sure on who to pick, with there being so many options. However, at that moment, Patch noticed that Scamp had just walked through the dog door, looking discouraged. Hurrying over, Patch approached him.

"Hi Scamp!" Patch said excitedly.

"Hey," Scamp greeted him. "Glad to see you have some energy! My whole family's too tired out to do anything," he sighed.

"Well then you're in luck!" Patch exclaimed, his tail wagging. "Thunder's back! He wants to film a show with three guest stars, and so far he only has Lucky and me! You wanna join?"

Scamp's expression immediately changed. "Yeah! Just let me ask my folks."

Scamp scurried back in before jumping back through. "They said yes!"

"All right!" Patch exclaimed, before the two of them ran over to Thunderbolt. "Can I be your third pup?" Scamp volunteered excitedly.

"Of course," Thunderbolt smiled. "Now we've got the easy part out of the way!"

"The easy part?" Patch asked.

Thunderbolt sighed. "Look kids, we've got a problem. I don't have an idea what we're even gonna be filming!"

"What?" Lucky asked as Patch and Scamp gasped.

"Yeah," Thunderbolt sighed. "Like I told Patch, I'm only an actor. I haven't got the faintest idea how to write a show. But we've gotta start filming today if we want to get this thing out on time, and my screenwriter has the flu, and my director can't do anything without him! The only instruction he gave is to have three guest stars."

Thunderbolt sighed. "I know this is a lot to ask, but … Well Patch, you know all the episodes by heart, not to mention you have a quick wit a TV hero can only dream of. Lucky, you got me to think honestly about myself, helping remind me a real hero overcomes their fears instead of not having any, not to mention you helped encourage me to do my own stunts. And Scamp, I don't know you as well, but I can tell you're determined and energetic, perfect for being a star. And I was thinking, who better to create and co-star in the episode than you three?"

"Us, make an episode?" Patch asked in disbelief.

"And star in it?" Lucky asked.

"Yep, with me of course," Thunderbolt smiled.

"You bet!" Scamp exclaimed as Lucky and Patch nodded enthusiastically.

Thunderbolt led them all through the rain and inside to a TV studio. It was a very long room from left to right, with tall lights adorning the front of the room's edges.

"Whoa," Scamp exclaimed, taking in everything around him. Unlike the others, he had never been to a TV studio before.

We get filmed on the set," Patch explained. "The area with all the lighting."

"And we've got to keep trying until everything is perfect," Lucky said. "I got stuck filming way too many takes for a commercial once. It was so bad they had to get Spot to finish it."

"Well hopefully it'll turn out so good they'll like it no matter what," Scamp said determinedly.

As they got closer to the set, they realized only three people were in the room – a director sitting front and center before the set, a cameraman, and a short, portly man standing in the middle of the set. "Here Thunder, boy!" the man called out. Thunderbolt ran over, the others following behind, and he hugged Thunderbolt. "You got our guests? Good boy! Hopefully three new pups on the show will cover the fact we have no idea what we're doing!"

The director smiled. "Good boy, Thunder! Now get in your costume, Stan!"

"Right," the man on the set said, before going to a dressing room. He came in a strangely familiar costume, with bandanna, belt and hat, and the pups stared as he reached into his costume and pulled out a fake eyebrows, a nose and mustache, and then practiced his evil laugh.

"Dirty Dawson?" Lucky and Patch asked in shock.

"Yep," Thunderbolt chuckled, he said as the costumed Stan petted him. "The one and only. Stan's actually really nice in person, and a good sport about having to play the villain all the time."

"Now then," Thunderbolt eyed each of them in turn. "I'm sure you're all brimming with ideas, right? What should Dirty and I film for this episode?"

Scamp, Lucky and Patch all shouted at once.

"A fight!" said Lucky.

"A chase!" said Scamp.

"An escape!" said Patch.

Thunderbolt looked surprised as all three pups stared at each other. "Thunder's already been in a fight with Dirty Dawson in fifty-four episodes!" Patch cried out. "We only get one chance to write an episode! We don't want everyone to think it's a re-run."

"Yeah, but the action is the best part of these episodes!" Lucky argued. "What's a Thunderbolt episode without a classic fight scene?"

"But we don't everyone guessing what's gonna happen!" Patch shot back. "Nobody will know what's coming if Thunder himself gets captured, and we can save him!"

"Thunder would look stupid if he's captured by Dirty Dawson though," Lucky said. "And for us to have to save Thunder? That's out of character for him."

"How else are we going to be in the show then?" Patch asked, as Scamp watched, in no position to get a word in between the two bickering fans.

"We could be his cool sidekicks," Lucky said. "And I can land the final blow on Dawson."

"Hey, in case you've forgotten, I'm the one who's actually been adventuring with Thunderbolt," Patch said. "I should do that!"

Scamp shook his head and finally stood between the two pups. "All right, cool it! How can we agree on anything if you two are fighting all the time?"

"But I've been Thunderbolt's real-life partner!" Patch said.

"So? I'm the one who got him to do his own stunts," Lucky retorted.

"And you two both know more way about Thunderbolt than me," Scamp laughed. "But I bet we can make a really good episode if we all put some ideas in!"

"Scamp's right," Thunderbolt agreed. "You both have some good ideas. Why don't you work them out with each other?"

"Right," Scamp said with a smile, "But no fighting!"

` Lucky and Patch both smiled at Scamp before starting over. "Patch," Lucky said, "I think a plot twist is a great idea, but we've gotta find a way to get Thunderbolt trapped that doesn't make him look stupid."

"Hey, does Thunderbolt have any fears? You know, things that would make him freeze up?" Scamp asked.

"Well, Thunder doesn't like frogs and heights," Lucky said thinking. "But he's conquered both fears before."

"How about both at once?" Scamp asked.

Patch smiled. "I like that idea! Maybe Dirty Dawson can throw some frogs out of his pocket like bombs to keep Thunder on his toes, forcing Thunder closer and closer to the cliff's edge so he gets more and more scared of heights?"

"Sure, that could work," Lucky said.

"All right," Scamp said. "We've got to get some frogs."

"Leave that to me," Thunderbolt said confidently, before barking to alert the crew's attention and sitting like a frog. Stan quickly explained what Thunderbolt meant, the director approved, and so the cameraman went to go grab a net and Scamp said, "I'll show him the way to the pond," and so Scamp and the cameraman left.

"Where should Thunder be trapped?" Lucky asked.

"Hmm … We've gotta make Dawson really mean," Lucky said. "Maybe a frog pit … No, we're already using them. A tar pit. No, too expensive … A spider pit! Yeah, that's it! We've gotta bring those scorpion and spider costumes we used to trick Ivy!" Dawson shoots the edge of the cliff Thunder is on, which causes a rockslide which forces Thunder to fall into the pit!"

"And then we come in with a rope," Patch added eagerly, "And we swing over to get Thunder out of there! Yeah, that's it! Then we chase Dawson like Scamp said, before we have our fight with him!"

"Yeah, Dawson could have robbed a bank," Lucky suggested. "I'm sure we've got moneybag props around."

"Oh yes," Thunderbolt smiled. "I like all these ideas I'm hearing!"

"Then Thunder fights Dawson and tie him up with our rope and Thunder gets back the money!" Patch finished, and Lucky and Patch high-fived. "We're done, Thunder!"

"So I hear," Thunderbolt said. "I knew you could do better than me! So let me get this straight. I am chasing Dawson. He throws frogs at me to get me over to the edge of the cliff, making me woozy because I hate heights. Then he shoots the edge of the cliff, causing me to fall into the pit of giant spiders and scorpions. Then you rescue me by swinging over with a rope, and we chase Dawson and fight with him before tying him up."

"Yep, that's about it," Lucky said.

"Sounds good," Thunderbolt said. "Just one thing. I'll need to grab onto one of your paws when you swing across to rescue me. Whose should I grab?"

Patch and Lucky sorely wanted the role themselves, but knew the other wanted it just as badly. So they looked at each other and agreed. "Give it to Scamp," Patch said. "He hasn't had a big moment with you yet."

"Yeah, besides, if it weren't for him, we'd still be arguing," Lucky agreed, before he and Patch went home to collect their costumes, while Thunderbolt explained the directions to the crew.

When Scamp returned with the frogs and Lucky and Patch returned with the costumes, which were hooked up with near-invisible string for the director to control, Scamp was stunned. "I'm gonna have to grab your paw?" Scamp said, eyeing Thunderbolt, excited but nervous. "While swinging?"

"Yep," Thunderbolt said as Scamp gasped. "Wow …."

In what seemed to be no time, the director, the cameraman and Stan assembled the set. Two cliffs had been rolled in from the storage room, while they affixed a rope on high for the dogs to swing from. Scamp grew more and more excited, especially when Thunderbolt was placed in the center and the crew began practicing puppeteering the costumes around.

When it was time for filming, the crew helped the pups grip onto the rope. "Now it's just like a swing," Thunderbolt advised them. Stan will push the rope, then Scamp, when you are just above me, reach out for me and I'll grab your paw, while Lucky, Patch, you have to help Scamp hold onto the rope. Now, ready, set, swing!"

So they tried swinging several times, but each time, as Thunderbolt tried grabbing on, either he missed Scamp's paw or he grabbed Scamp's paw but the result showed any of them looking not quite right. Filming this scene took the rest of the day, but when they finally got a good take, their paws all hurt from gripping onto the rope for so long. The director then showed them the footage of the final cut. Patch and Lucky looked satisfied, but Scamp looked disappointed.

"Can we do some more takes? I need to improve my expression for the camera," Scamp asked. "My face looks kinda weird."

Lucky and Patch looked at each other incredulously. "Are you kidding?" he said, showing how cracked his paw pads were. "I'm not grabbing onto another rope again."

"Come on, this is show biz!" Scamp asked, irritated. "Don't you wanna get your paws dirty?"

"No, not with that kind of attitude," Patch said, and they began to walk out.

Instantly, Scamp realized how shallow and selfish he sounded. Hurrying in front of them, Scamp blocked the way. "Hey, that was stupid of me. My head was way too big. I couldn't even see all the hard work you were doing because I was so focused on myself … I wouldn't even have that part if you guys didn't give it to me …"

Lucky and Patch smiled. Their bonds with Scamp were far too deep for one outburst to get to them. "We forgive you," Lucky said reassuringly.

"Just remember we're all in this together, just like you showed us when we were fighting," Patch smiled to Scamp.

"Okay," Scamp smiled. "Let's keep the take. Besides, no one's gonna notice my face in that great scene," he said, and the three of them all hugged.

They then watched and ate kibble together as they watched Thunderbolt and Dirty Dawson film their parts with the set. "You guys doing okay?" Thunderbolt asked.

"Yeah," Patch said.

Thunderbolt smiled. "You know squeaky toy, you've grown up so much since I first met you. You looked up to me so much at first I was getting concerned. But you three' have really shown me today you can do anything and get through any argument. So much better than what I'm used to seeing in show biz."

All three puppies, especially Patch, were very moved by Thunderbolt's compliment. "Gee thanks Thunder, I don't know what to say," Patch said quietly.

Thunderbolt chuckled. "You don't need to say anything, for your actions today said it all. Just come back tomorrow so we can film you on the other set. Then we'll have this episode out and running."

They came back the next day in much better weather. The set was changed, this time to a wide expansive one, perfect for a chase scene. Thunderbolt and Stan filmed the action before they arrived at the cliff, and then after changing the background, they allowed the pups on the climax. Stan had a long rope in his pocket, and Thunderbolt modeled how they should tie him up. They practiced it several times, but eventually got the hang of it. So the scene was filmed where Thunderbolt tackled Dirty Dawson and retrieved the money bag he was carrying while approaching the camera in a triumphant pose, while the pups tied Stan up. After multiple takes, the scene was complete.

"I think we've done it," the director said happily. "All it needs is a few edits, and we'll be good to go."

Saturday morning had everyone bunched around the TV in Roger and Anita's house, waiting for the pups' TV appearance. Scamp, Lucky and Patch didn't tell anyone exactly what their roles were, so when everyone saw the action scene they were in, they were all quite impressed.

"You three seemed like naturals," Pongo smirked. "It's no wonder Thunderbolt called you up for the job."

"Now don't go doing anything like that in real life, all right?" Perdita warned jokingly as the pups sniggered.

"No Mom," Lucky laughed. "But I think I can speak for all of us when I saw we wanna get back to real adventuring!"


	9. Roller Puppies

**Episode 8 – Roller Puppies**

On the other side of town, Puffball was taking Danielle to all his old spots. They had just finished a meal of steak scraps from Puffball's favorite steakhouse, and were about to go home when Danielle's eyes fell upon a U-shaped ramp, with a form moving swiftly across it.

"Whoa!" Danielle said to Puffball. "What's that?"

"I don't know," Puffball said. "It's always been there, but I never got too close."

"Well, there's a first time for everything, right?" Danielle asked cheerily.

Puffball smiled, "Yeah, especially now I've got my license."

Across from the ramp was a set of bleachers, which the two pups climbed up on and watched. There was a little girl, about seven years old, with short red pigtails gliding rather than walking in an effortless grapevine.

"Wow, how does she move like that?" Danielle asked.

Then Danielle saw that she had little boots with wheels on the bottom. The wheels were what allowed her to slide across the ground, and she looked like she was having the time of her life.

"What are those?" Danielle asked.

"They're roller skates," Puffball answered. "Humans use them for entertainment. Careful though, they go awful fast."

"Cool! Do dogs use them?" Danielle asked eagerly.

"Not that I know of," Puffball shrugged.

"Then I'll be the first!" Daniele cheered.

"Be careful!" Puffball exclaimed.

"I will, promise!" Danielle smiled.

When the little girl finished, she gave her skates back to an attendant who put them on a rack behind him, which had skates of all sizes. Then as the girl left, Danielle barked to the attendant eagerly.

"Oh, do you want some hot dogs?" he asked. When Danielle whimpered in the negative, he said, "I don't suppose you want to skate?"

As Danielle barked excitedly, the attendant looked bewildered, yet all the same, proceeded to get out the smallest size of skates he had, bright blue in color, and slipped one on each of Danielle's paws. "Would you like to skate too, dear?"

Puffball shook his head, and since he was too full for a hot dog, the attendant gave Puffball a bone to gnaw on. Then he watched Danielle, who tried stepping forward. Only it turned out in a way she did not expect.

"I can barely move in these things!" she yipped before falling onto the ground.

Luckily, the vendor was there to help. He shuffled Danielle so that all her body weight was concentrated on her left side and pushed her off. Danielle frantically yipped at first, and so desperately, she shuffled her weight to the other side, making a stride motion with her right paws. "I'm sure glad I have two paws to hold me up on each side," she thought as once again, she felt off-balance on the left. Shifting her body weight back and forth, she was able to slowly get into a more comfortable stride. Puffball yipped happily as she began to scoot across the floor, taking longer and longer glides till at last she was gliding. Feeling the air rush past her, Danielle was hooked. The thrill of having the wind rush by her face and her ears to flow in the wind as her skates led her body along was something she had never expected, and she couldn't help but to let out a cheerful howl. Then she noticed the high edges of the ramp. "Maybe I can do that too!" she thought.

With a deep breath, she scooted right toward the edge. The momentum of her stride carried her upward, before she began rolling right back down again. "All right!" Danielle hollered excitedly.

Just then, Puffball arrived on the rink, accompanied by a little goldendoodle. Excitedly, Danielle zoomed over. "Hi Puffy! This is really pawsome, you should try!"

"I will someday," Puffball smiled. "Dani, I found someone you should meet. This is Windy. She's a stray who wants help finding a home."

"Hi, Ms. Danielle," Windy said shyly. "You know that little girl who skated here before you did? I wanna skate just like her so she will adopt me and we can be best of friends. And I know you'd be a great teacher. So can you teach me how to do it?"

"Me? A teacher?" Danielle asked bewilderedly, but she caught Windy's pitiful puppy eyes and her heart melted. "Aww, sure thing."

"Great!" Can we start now!" Windy asked.

Puffball however saw that it was getting very late, "Dani, we ought to be getting back."

"Right," Danielle smiled, thankful she had such a responsible boyfriend since she completely forgot about the time. "Tomorrow night then? Maybe I'll bring some friends along to skate. We can all learn together!"

"Okay," Windy said, so after saying goodbye, Danielle and Puffball went home, Danielle bubbling about her experience all the way home. So much so that even though everyone else was asleep when they returned, she had a hard time going to sleep that night, the thrill of the experience still consuming her.

The next morning, Scamp left early to finish filming the Thunderbolt episode, but everyone else was there to hear Danielle talk about her skating experience.

"So tonight I'm gonna teach Windy how to do it," she finished.

"You get to help a pup find a home and learn how to do that at once?" Angel asked, having been particularly interested through the whole story.

"Yep," Danielle smiled. "Course I'd love to have ya join me."

"Really?" Angel asked, wagging her tail. "All right! I'd love to help and can't wait to get my paws in those things."

Just then, Lady looked up and saw someone walked through the dog door. "Hi Two-Tone, how are you doing?" Lady smiled.

"Oh good," Two-Tone said. "Did Scamp say when he and Lucky were coming back?" she said.

Tramp chuckled. "Nope. Who knows, Scamp was so excited, he looked like they'd be filming all day."

"Oh, okay then," Two-Tone said and she was about to head back, but then Danielle hurried over. "Hey Two-Tone! I know something you'd love!"

"What's that?" Two-Tone asked.

"It's something called roller skating," Danielle said. "You get a full set of boots on wheels and you go gliding across the rink! Angel and I are going, and we've gotta teach a pup how to to help find her owner. So you wanna come?"

"Would I? You bet!" Two-Tone beamed. "Can we go now? I can't wait to try it out!"

"Yeah," Danielle and Angel turned to their parents. "Can we?"

"Don't see why not," Peg answered as they all cheered. and came bounding out of the house. After Two-Tone quickly checked in with Pongo and Perdita, who said yes, they all happily ran to the skate park. By the time they reached it, it was noon, and the park was filled to the brim with skaters.

"It'll calm down," Danielle said reassuringly. "I had the park to myself last night."

"Well, at least we can watch in the stands," Two-Tone pointed out.

"Yeah, and see how they do it," Angel agreed.

Danielle was happy to see that both her friends quickly became as immersed in watching the skaters as she was. They were so busy watching how freely the skaters strode across that they didn't even notice the little puppy moving under the bleachers.

"Hiya Windy!" Danielle said, poking her head underneath. Angel and Two-Tone soon looked at the little puppy, surprised to see them.

"Oh hi. Are these your friends?" Windy asked.

"Yep," Danielle smiled. "Why don'tcha come on the stands with us? The dogcatchers aren't coming after ya anymore."

"I know," Windy said. "But I don't want anyone to see me until my new pet does, once I've mastered my tricks."

"No, but it wouldn't hurt to break the ice," Two-Tone said.

"Yeah, since she's always the last one to leave, you can go up to her and see if she's interested in a pup," Danielle said.

"Maybe," Windy said doubtfully.

"Well, just think about it," Angel said, and with that, they continued to watch the skaters.

Late that afternoon, they saw that the skate vendor was freely available, snacking on a hot dog. "Oh, it's you," he said when he saw Danielle before chuckling, "I see you brought friends along. I can't let you on the rink until everyone else has left. But since nobody else uses your size, I suppose it can't hurt to give you the skates now. Would you like a hot dog first?"

Barking yes, the vendor cut up a hot dog in thirds to give to each of them, and after having a drink, they were each put into two pairs of skates. Danielle didn't need too much help standing up on her second day, but both Two-Tone and Angel were off balance. Luckily, the vendor was kind enough to help them learn the basics, and so the three pups practiced with baby steps inside the vendor's narrow stand. Customers kept coming to buy food and rent skates, but as the sun began to set, more and more of them started going home and the rink became increasingly deserted. At last, only the pigtailed girl was left skating.

The vendor smiled at the pups. "You'll have to wait for Alexa to finish," he said. "Not to worry. Her parents should come any time now." He sighed. "She must be lonely, skating all day in the park, day after day. She hardly has time to do anything else. If only she had someone to share her life with."

The pups looked at each other, and Two-Tone slipped out of her skates. "I've gotta introduce Windy to her," she said, and scurried over to Windy, who was still hiding under the stands.

Two-Tone was breathless as she approached Windy. "Guess what?" Two-Tone said. "We found more about the girl. Her name's Alexa, and she's lonely and might want a new friend."

Windy stared in disbelief.

"Come on," Two-Tone said after Alexa had returned her skates. "She's got to see you in the skate park so she knows you like skating. Ready?"

Windy nodded nervously, and just as Alexa passed, Two-Tone barked.

Alexa bent down to investigate. "Hey, you're one of those puppies! The one with the cool earring," she said, flattering Two-Tone as she then eyed Windy. "Is this your friend?" she asked.

Two-Tone barked, but at that point they heard a voice say, "Alexa!"

"Oh, coming!" she said before heading over to a parked car.

"And now she knows you exist," Two-Tone smiled. "Ready to start skating?"

In no time at all, the three pups were having the time of their lives. Angel and Two-Tone both cheered in delight as they joined Danielle on the rink, and thanks to their practice from earlier quickly picked up on actual skating. Whizzing by them, Danielle noticed Angel and Two-Tone didn't go quite as fast as her, nor was their acceleration quite as impressive, but they had other skills. Angel was able to master tricks well, like jumping, flipping, and skating with only one paw on the ground. Two-Tone in contrast was able to turn very quickly, had no trouble skating backwards, and had s the least difficulty of any of them with balance.

Meanwhile, Windy watched them attentively from the stands, mimicking their actions from time to time and looking both amazed and excited. The skate vendor noticed Windy, and before she knew it, he walked up to her.

"You wanna go skating with them too?" he asked, and with a quick yip, he put her into two pairs of skates and sent her out onto the rink.

Windy however found herself having more problems than any of the others did. Despite the skates being the smallest size available, her paws were quite a bit smaller than the others', and so her skates didn't fit. Her legs crumpled to the floor as she tried to move, and though she kept trying to get back up, she only kept on falling. "I can't do this!" she cried out at last.

"Sure you can," Danielle said brightly.

"The trick is not to think you're gonna fall," Angel said.

"Right," Two-Tone said. "Adjust your weight to keep your balance."

"But I can't do any of what you're doing!" Windy exclaimed.

"Can you give us a sec?" Danielle asked, and she, Angel, and Two-Tone began to talk.

"I don't know how she's gonna skate if she can't balance," Angel said sadly.

"Yeah, maybe it doesn't come naturally for her," Two-Tone agreed.

Danielle however then thought back to her early puppyhood. All the time, Annette and Collette had been more coordinated, walking with dignity when Danielle could only stumble, or them coming to a perfect sit while she just slouched. But eventually, as she got older, she too was able to do everything they could. Smiling, Danielle turned to the others.

"I'm sure she can," she pointed out. Looking to Two-Tone she asked, "Were you clumsy as a pup?"

"Not really, I guess," Two-Tone said thoughtfully.

"And I know you couldn't have been," Danielle laughed to Angel. "But I certainly was. And I think that's all that's wrong with Windy. She's got a lotta puppy clumsiness. All we've gotta do is start slow."

Together, all three pups approached Windy, who was looking dejectedly at the ground, her legs in a messy sprawl. "Hey there," Danielle piped up.

"I'll never be as good as you three," Windy sighed.

"Sure you will," Angel smiled. "You're still really young, and you'll get better as you get older."

"Yeah, you'll probably be better than us since you'll be practicing all the time as Alexa's pup," Two-Tone laughed.

"But that doesn't mean we can't start now," Danielle smiled. "First thing we've gotta do is get you to walk in your skates."

"Walk?" Windy questioned. "But you don't walk."

"Yeah, because that'll help you get a hang of them and practice your balance," Angel said. "Promise, it'll work."

They watched as Windy nervously tried walking in her skates, but soon, she got the hang of it. "I'm doing it!" she exclaimed.

"All right!" Danielle said. "Now let's do more!"

So Angel and Two-Tone each wrapped a paw around one of Windy's front paws and the three of them took off skating. "Press your body weight down," Two-Tone explained. "I know it sounds weird, but bend your knees a little to keep that weight toward the ground and improve your balance.'

Windy did, improving her posture. "Try rolling with your paws," Angel said. "We'll do the steering, but practice shifting your body weight along with us."

Windy did. It took a while, but Windy eventually noticed how Two-Tone carried her along on some strokes, while Angel did on others. She began planting one foot in for support while using the other to take off.

"Great!" Danielle cheered. "Now all that's left is for you to put it all together and skate by yourself. Put your weight down, shift your body with stride, and roll!" she cheered.

Encouraged, the others moved aside as Windy practiced. While she fell a lot towards the beginning, the three pups were all there to lend her a paw and give her advice and positive feedback. Shifting her body from side to side and keeping her weight toward the ground, Windy eventually got a good handle on the basics. Though it was late at night, the pups were hardly tired in the slightest. They were making slow but steady progress, and Windy began to fall less and less.

"Now we've gotta give you a move," Two-Tone said. "What do you wanna learn?"

"I want to make a lot of turns lightning quick," Windy said excitedly. "Can you teach me that!"

"Sure!" Danielle said as Angel and Two-Tone agreed. "Anything's possible if you put your heart in it!"

So Angel, Danielle and Two-Tone took off their skates and stood in a straight line on the rink, standing for Windy to practice skating around each of them like they were obstacles.

"Remember, a lotta quick body shifts!" Danielle called out as Windy nodded. Her first efforts to loop around the pups were unsuccessful, but she soon got the hang of exactly when to turn, causing her to zip around the pups with fewer and fewer mistakes. Then she focused on boosting her speed, and eventually, she was able to whiz around the pups, making lots of tight turns faster and faster with each time. "Whee!" she exclaimed.

Then just as the sun was coming up, Angel, Danielle and Two-Tone looked at each other. They had been so preoccupied that they didn't even notice Alexa was coming over to the park. Looking at each other seriously, they wondered if they should tell Windy. However, Windy was having so much fun in pulling off this trick that they didn't want to ruin any confidence she had built. So trying to look as though nothing was going on, they stood there stationary as Alexa drew closer to the rink.

Windy didn't notice anything until she looked behind her and saw Alexa was feet away from the rink. At that point, she skittered to a halt in her skates and fell face forward. "Why didn't you tell me she was here?" Windy asked, her eyes wide and dilated.

But Alexa was smiling. "Wow, you're pretty cool for such a little pup," Alexa said. "Nice talent with those skates! I'd like a pup like you to be my friend. What do you think? Want to be my skating partner?"

Windy could only gasp before yipping in delight. "All right then, I'll call you Windy," Alexa said. As Alexa went to return her skates, Windy looked at them in incredulous disbelief.

"Thank you so much!" Windy exclaimed. "You pups are the best!"

"Any time!" Danielle smiled. "Hope to see ya soon!"

And indeed, they did. Frequently, they saw Alexa and Windy skate throughout the neighborhood together, both on the sidewalks and in the rink. But Danielle, Two-Tone and Angel gained even more than helping a pup out. They now had a special hobby shared just between the three of them, bringing them even closer together in their friendship. And frequently, they went out to their favorite skate park, always yipping with excitement at the thrill of gliding through the skating rink, where on each visit, a new adventure always awaited them.


	10. The New Pup (Part 1)

**Episode 9 - The New Pup (Part 1)**

It was a calm afternoon for Thomas, Anna and their pets. CiCi was laying down on the carpet with a sleeping Scavenger nestled in her fur. XL was playing with a toy rope with Tripod and Leo was laying down next to CiCi.

Thomas was sketching out the scene of CiCi, Scavenger and Leo relaxing on his sketch pad, while Anna was writing in her notebook. She looked up to see Thomas sketching and giggled. "You just can't stop yourself from sketching can you?" she asked sarcastically, knowing Thomas loved to sketch.

Thomas chuckled as well as he stopped sketching for a moment. "Sorry, I can't help it when I see something that will work as an amazing picture.'

As he said that, the phone suddenly started to ring. Thomas looked at the phone quizzically. "Huh? Who could be calling us at this hour?" he asked as he went to answer it.

As he went to answer the phone, XL looked on in curiosity, letting go of the rope accidentally, letting Tripod win. "Hello? ... Oh hey Mum, nice to hear from you," Thomas said as XL looked on and listened carefully.

"Yes I remember Molly," XL listened on, he also remembered Molly. Molly was a black whippet that got adopted by Thomas' mother before Thomas and Anna left to America, "Uh huh ... Oh ... I see ... So you can only keep one? ... Well we can take care of her" Thomas said, which confused XL, Keep one? Take care of her? What was going on?

"Well don't worry, she'll be fine with us ... You can send her overnight? Alright then, I'll go pick her up when she arrives. I'll call you when she gets here ... Ok ... Love you too Mum, bye," Thomas finally said as he put the phone down. Thomas then walked to Anna and talked with her, and as XL walked over to them. As he listened, his eyes widened in surprise and shock as his jaw dropped.

The next day, XL managed to gather all of the other pups in his front yard to tell them the news, and every one of the group of pups was very surprised.

"A new pup?!" they gasped in unison.

"Yeah! Apparently our whippet friend, Molly from the UK had pups, and most of her pups went to new people, all except for two," XL explained as the group listened with great interest. "Thomas' mum can only have one of the pups, so she asked Thomas to take the other, and he accepted!" XL said in a frustrated tone.

The other pups all looked confused at XL's tone before Scavenger asked, "But isn't that a good thing? A new puppy in the neighbourhood doesn't seem bad," Scavenger said.

However XL looked to Scavenger in distress. "The new pup's name is Princess! PRINCESS!" XL screamed in panic and distress, to which Scavenger fell backwards due to XL getting so close.

The other pups looked confused, "So? Why is her name such a big concern?" Lucky asked, worrying XL might be overreacting.

"Because from what I remember from dogs in the UK, a dog named Princess ends up as snobbish dogs or bullies! Sometimes both!" XL said.

Collette walked forward to XL, "Are you sure you're not overreacting?" She asked in concern.

"Trust me! Any dog named Princess can end up as a spoiled dog who will treat others as garbage if she doesn't get what she wants" XL said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Well I knew a pup named Princess once," Scamp replied. "She's really nice!"

"Oh yes, I remember her!" Annette smiled. "Too bad she moved ..."

"Mom's name is kind of posh too, but she's not a snob or bully!" Danielle chimed in.

"So does Jewel's," agreed Two-Tone. "But while she's got plenty of style, she's not a bully!"

"Besides, most bullies I know go for tougher names," Puffball said. "I actually take her name as a good sign."

"Yeah, like Buster or any of the wild dogs," Angel agreed.

The group then saw Thomas' car coming down the road before parking outside the house. After Thomas got out, he went to the passenger seat and pulled out a pet carrier. The group watched intently as Thomas took the pet carrier to the house, hoping they might get a glance of the newcomer, before he opened the door and went inside the house.

**"**Ok, looks like 'Princess' is here. Me, Scavenger and Tripod are gonna go see her, but remember guys, she could be really snobbish or a bully, so get ready for when you meet her!" XL said as if he was making an attack plan, which worried the others as he headed inside. Scavenger and Tripod looked at the others. "Don't worry, we'll keep an eye on him. Maybe on this Princess as well, in case he's right," Scavenger said to them as he and Tripod followed XL in the house. leaving everyone else worried about XL and his thoughts about the new pup as they headed to their respective homes.

Inside the Bourne house, they found Thomas in the living room with Anna, CiCi and Leo. Thomas and Anna were on their knees as they opened the pet carrier, "Come on now Princess, its ok," Thomas said reassuringly, trying to get the puppy out. Everyone watched the carrier carefully, then as seconds went by, a small black paw poked out of the carrier.

It was then the puppy walked out of the carrier. She was a whippet puppy that was black all over, smaller than the three pups, but bigger than Leo. She looked around shyly, for she was a bit scared on where she was

**"**Awww, she's so tiny" Anna awwed at Princess's size as Thomas smiled, standing up and picking up the empty pet carrier."I'm gonna call my mum to tell her Princess made it safely," Thomas said as he went to put away the carrier and over to the phone. "I'll get some food for her, she must be hungry," Anna said as she got up and went to the kitchen where they kept the pet food.

Princess looked around and whimpered softly, as she was not used to being in a new place yet. CiCi saw this and walked over to her. "Hello," CiCi said to her, however Princess got scared and backed away a bit, panting nervously. "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you," CiCi said to the little pup, who looked at her uncertainly, still a bit scared. Sensing this, CiCi leaned down to the pup's level."My name's CiCi," CiCi introduces herself to the pup.

"I-I'm...P-Princess," Princess said quietly, but CiCi still heard her. CiCi then moved to the side to show Leo to Princess, "That's Leo, he's a munchkin cat," CiCi explained, to which Princess slightly rose up, still kind of scared but was starting to calm down a bit. Leo slowly went towards Princess, who backed away in shyness. "No need to be afraid, I won't hurt you," Leo said, to which Princess slightly went closer, but still kept her distance.

Tripod and Scavenger also saw her shyness. Not wanting to startle her, they slowly walked towards her, "Hey there!" Tripod said, getting the little pups attention, to which she jumped in fright, "Ooops, sorry, didn't mean to scare you," Tripod apologized, to which Princess was shaking from being scared. Scavenger then walked in front of his brother. "My name's Scavenger, you've already met my brother Tripod," Scavenger introduced himself and Tripod.

Princess took a better look at the two dalmatians. They didn't seem dangerous to her, at least from what she could see. However, she wasn't really familiar with any other dog besides her littermates and mother, but she knew she would feel less lonely if she made new friends. Still, she was very scared, worrying that these "friends" would end up being mean to her. However, upon meeting CiCi, Leo, Scavenger and Tripod, they all seemed nice so far, so she was able to forget those thoughts for a while.

The only one in the group that wasn't excited to meet her was XL, who was still suspicious of Princess, not trusting her because of her name. However XL didn't want to make a big scene, so he knew he had to deal with it for now. Hiding his negative feelings and putting on a smile, he slowly walked to Princess, still very suspicious of her.

"Hey!" XL said, to which Princess got scared again. While she was getting used to the new dogs around, seeing a fox caused her to run behind CiCi, scared out of her mind. While she was young, she heard the rumors of foxes hurting puppies.

When XL saw this he got confused, '_This doesn't make sense. She's supposed to be snobby and uptight and bossy... So why is she acting scared? Is this a trick?_' he thought to himself, but he was brought out of his thoughts when CiCi spoke.

"Don't worry Princess. That's XL. He may be a fox, but he is the nicest fox to be around. He acts more dog than anything," CiCi said to the small whippet pup, Princess carefully peeked from her hiding place and looked at XL. Seeing his confused expression, she didn't know what he was thinking, but she felt bad that she had just run away from him, so with as much bravery she had, she stepped toward XL.

"H-h-hello...X-XL..I..I'm Princess...," she said, still a little scared since she was face to face with a fox. XL then smiled, still suspicious, but didn't want to cause trouble, "Nice to meet you Princess," XL said to her, to which she showed a small smile

After the introductions were done, Anna brought some Kanine Krunchies in a food bowl for Princess, the bowl was a little big for her, but she enjoyed the food nonetheless.

CiCi watched over Princess as she ate. She had a feeling in her that was a bit strange, a kind of desire. A desire to protect, to protect Princess. It was the same sort of feeling when she had met XL and Scavenger for the first time. She wasn't sure why she had these feelings, but she never fought these feelings, for they felt natural to her, for some reason.

After Princess had eaten her food, she began to explore around the room curiously, CiCi kept an eye on her, just in case.

Princess had explored around the room and then the rest of the house. She found it pretty big to her thanks to her size, but she didn't mind. She watched her new housemates in the living room, XL was playing tug of war with Scavenger while Tripod was keeping an eye on them, like a spectator for a sports game.

Princess then saw that out the window the sky was black. She didn't realize her exploring had taken most of the day, so as she looked for somewhere to sleep, she had found CiCi and Leo already asleep, side by side, Leo using CiCi's big body as a sort of pillow. Seeing there weren't any other beds, Princess decided to sleep next to CiCi. She curled up next to the husky and as she lay down, she couldn't explain why, but it just felt right.

Princess then yawned as she fell asleep. XL, Scavenger and Tripod soon headed for their beds as they went to sleep, but while Scavenger and Tripod couldn't help but smile upon looking at Princess, XL however looked at Princess in suspicion before he finally fell asleep.

The next morning, Jim Dear, Darling, Roger and Anita brought all their dogs to Thomas and Anna's front porch step, where they were waiting with XL, Scavenger, Tripod and Leo. CiCi was still inside the house with Princess, who went behind a couch in the living room as soon as she heard the others arrive.

"So, how's Princess?" Scamp asked XL, Tripod and Scavenger, all of whom looked at each other.

"She's really shy," Scavenger explained as XL scoffed.

"Yeah, she's gonna need to meet everyone real slowly," Tripod advised.

"She's taking a liking to CiCi though," Leo said.

Danielle shook her head. "But why'd she be scared of us? We're as friendly a group of pups as it gets!"

"We know that, but Princess doesn't," Collette explained sadly. "I think we should start with one of us who can help make her feel more comfortable."

"I think a pup should do it," Rolly pondered. "Someone that doesn't make her feel little."

"We need someone soft-spoken," Cadpig reasoned. "Someone very patient, and who thinks before they talk."

"Who is great at listening to others," Patch smiled. "And is really understanding."

They all sat thoughtfully before looking at Penny, who was visibly taken aback. "Me?" she asked. "Are you sure?"

"Well, you're all of those things," Lucky said fairly to murmurs of agreement.

"Lucky's right," Pongo told Penny warmly. "Just be yourself, and I'm sure Princess will warm up to you."

"Well, okay," Penny said, seeing everyone's points but feeling very unsure inside.

"I think we should have a sleepover party for her," Two-Tone suggested. "That's how Becca and I became friends, right Becca?"

"Yes," Rebecca said. "But Princess should meet more of us first, or else she wouldn't be comfortable."

"Yes," Angel agreed. "Penny, how about you introduce some of us to her after you befriend her?"

"Maybe we should play the quiet game," Tripod suggested. "Whoever can stay quiet the longest wins. Anyone good at this would be least likely to scare Princess by accident."

Everyone agreed, so all the puppies but Penny and the Bourne's got in a circle then as Penny, the Bourne pups and the adults watched. Tripod paced around, serving as the referee. "On your mark? Get set? Go!"

A couple minutes passed in silence.

"Wow, you guys are all so good!" Danielle chortled, before saying, "Oops."

"Yeah, I'm not really that good at this," Scamp said squeamishly as he too left the circle.

Soon, Lucky, Two-Tone and Patch also lost the quiet game, but no matter how many times Tripod walked around them, the remaining puppies did not budge. "Oh fine," Collette finally said, and she went over to try to reassure XL about Princess.

Annette, Angel, Cadpig, Puffball, Rolly and Rebecca were still playing, and apart from Rolly's stomach growling, which no one counted as a violation, not one of them were making a sound. Tripod paced and paced, but the six pups continued to stare at each other without even a flinch. At last, after what seemed like the millionth lap, Tripod sighed. "Okay, nothing's going to stop you guys. I think you've all tied."

Just then, CiCi arrived. "Thomas and Anna are ready," she advised as she walked out the house to the group, they all arrived by the back door. "Who wants to come in first?"

Tentatively, Penny walked over. "I guess I will," she mumbled.

"It will be okay Penny," Pongo consoled her.

"Just do your best," Perdita added warmly.

"Yeah, I know you can do it!" Patch exclaimed.

Penny smiled weakly as everyone wished her good luck and encouraged her as she traipsed into the house as CiCi accompanied her.

"I don't know if I can do it," Penny told CiCi. "I mean, what if I slip up? What if I scare her somehow? What if she ends up being shyer instead?"

CiCi smiled. "That kind of thoughtfulness is just what we need to help Princess," she said, causing Penny to blush and get a little more confident.

"I'm not speaking too loudly, am I?" Penny asked CiCi.

"Not at all," CiCi answered soothingly.

They then approached the little black whippet puppy tucked away in her hiding place.

"Princess?" CiCi called out. "A friend of mine wants to meet you. It's okay, she won't hurt you and she's very nice."

Princess whimpered as she backed up against the wall and tucked her legs and tail in, shaking violently. Penny looked at CiCi with uncertainty, but CiCi nodded, so Penny took a few steps toward Princess.

"Hello Princess," Penny said softly, but before she could say another word, Princess whined loudly as Penny looked at CiCi uneasily. Penny sat down quietly, not daring to make a move in case it would startle Princess further. Soon though, Princess stopped whining but was still whimpering and keeping her eyes far away from Penny. Penny knew then that talking wasn't going to work just yet, so she had to figure out another way to get Princess to trust her. Looking around the room, her eyes fell upon a little red ball in the toy box, and she got an idea.

As CiCi watched curiously, Penny picked up the ball, and gave it a very little kick. The ball gently rolled along the wooden floor before coming to a stop against the wall, after which Penny picked the ball up and did it again, taking care to do it as delicately as she could each time so as not to startle Princess. After a few tries, Princess turned around to see what the sound was, and saw the older puppy gently playing with the little ball and giving it a little tap causing it to roll to the wall again and again.

Princess was very surprised with how this new pup acted. In contrast with her three young housemates who made a lot of noise and chaos whenever they played, this pup was playing much more gently, with a serene look in her eyes which eased some of Princess' apprehension. Before she realized what she was doing, Princess got out from her hiding spot and steadily moved closer to Penny kicking the ball. Penny was trying her hardest to not react, knowing one wrong move could send Princess back under cover.

Penny continued to kick the ball as Princess watched, until finally, Princess asked, "What are you doing?"

"Playing," Penny said.

"Why are you kicking it to the wall?" Princess asked.

"Because I have no one else to play with me," Penny sighed.

Princess continued to stare as Penny steadily tapped the ball. Then, just as Penny began to wonder whether she should try something else, Princess ran to the wall and blocked it, kicking it back to Penny. Smiling but not saying a word, Penny tapped the ball back to Princess, who returned it, and soon the two of them, while playing much less rowdily than the boys, were having a spirited game. Only when she looked up from the ground and saw Penny did she remember where she was, and hurriedly tried backing away, only to get cornered by the wall on one side and the china cabinet on the other, and she started whimpering again.

"It's okay," Penny said soothingly. "I won't hurt you."

Princess stopped whimpering, and hesitantly, looked up at the little spotted puppy hallway across the room from her.

"My name is Penny," she introduced herself. "I'm a friend of CiCi's and live right down the street. What's your name?"

"Pr … Princess," Princess muttered shyly.

"That's a very nice name," Penny said warmly, causing Princess to smile, and Penny inched a couple steps closer. "I liked playing with you," Penny said.

"Me too," Princess said, about to say something else, but could only utter a mumble.

"Well, since we both are friends with CiCi and we liked playing with each other, why don't we be friends?" Penny asked. "I really like you and want to play again sometime."

"Really?" Princess asked. "You want to be my friend?"

"Yes," Penny smiled. "Is that all right?" she asked, to which Princess nodded.

Penny then told Princess some peaceful stories from her early puppyhood, like the day she first found out about clouds, the day she saw her first rainbow, and the story of how she began to sit in between her father's paws. Soon, Princess was fast asleep, and Penny whispered, "Sweet dreams Princess," before turning back to tell CiCi what happened.

When it was the next day, everyone else in the Bourne house had gone out but Princess and CiCi. Penny led the group of puppies that were chosem yesterday into the Bourne house. The puppies were peeking around the corner, where CiCi was standing by Princess sleeping in her bed. The others waited while Penny walked over to CiCi.

"Morning Penny," CiCi greeted her quietly. "Princess is doing just fine. She seemed a little happier after making friends with you."

"That's great," Penny whispered.

CiCi then looked up and saw the other puppies peeking around the corner. "I bought Rolly, Cadpig, Rebecca, Annette, Angel and Puffball over, if that's all right" Penny explained. "Do you think Princess is ready to meet them?"

"I think so, but let's have Princess get to know them one at a time, so as not to overwhelm her," CiCi said.

Penny passed the message along to the others, before going back to CiCi and Princess.

**"L**eo told me about the sleepover idea," CiCi said. "If all goes well today maybe she'll be up for it. She'd know some of the pups there, which would really help."

"Yes," Penny said.

"Well, I guess I'll wake her up," CiCi said, and she nuzzled Princess awake. "Uh … Oh, morning," Princess said.

"Morning Princess," CiCi said. "Sleep well?"

Princess nodded, before her eyes adjusted to the dalmatian puppy beside her. Expecting Tripod or Scavenger, she was surprised to see the pup she met yesterday. "Oh …Hello, uh … uh …"

"Penny," Penny reminded her gently.

"Penny," Princess repeated to herself, as she looked into Penny's warm, soft eyes.

"Princess, would you like to meet some of my family and friends? I promise you they're all really nice."

Princess looked nervously from Penny to CiCi, who gave her a reassuring nod. "Okay," she said quietly.

Penny smiled. "This is my brother Rolly," she said, and on cue, Rolly waddled into the room. Princess observed him. While he was a lot bigger than Princess, his round, soft shape, innocent expression and gentle mannerisms more than made up for this.

"Hi Princess, I'm Rolly," Rolly said friendlily.

"Hello," Princess mumbled, still apprehensive about meeting so many puppies.

"I know everything's new to you, but I know you'll like it," Rolly said gently. "Especially the food. Have you tried the Krunchies yet? They're my favorite."

Princess nodded, realizing Rolly seemed just as nice as Penny said. Then Rolly got an idea. Moaning, he suddenly flipped onto his belly and said, "Ugh … I got an itch. Would you mind getting it?"

Princess was a bit nervous, but she didn't like seeing Rolly uncomfortable like that, so she went and rubbed his belly.

"Aww! That feels good!" Rolly chuckled and continued to laugh softly. "I love that … Right there, that's the spot …Ahh …. You're the best Princess! Thanks for being my friend!"

Princess smiled, surprised on how easily Rolly called her his friend.

"Rolly's my littermate, and he's the biggest of our litter," Penny informed him.

"Yep! I'm a creampuff, and proud of it, too!" Rolly said jokingly.

Princess looked relieved upon seeing how friendly Rolly was. Encouraged, Penny asked,"Want to meet another of my littermates?"

"Sure," Princess muttered.

Cadpig then briskly walked over. Princess looked at her in surprise. Here was an older pup who was even smaller than she was, but like Penny and Rolly, seemed to have their same aura of friendliness. "Hi Princess!" Cadpig exclaimed. "My name's Cadpig, and it's really nice to finally meet you!"

Cadpig's eyes, brimming with enthusiasm, shined at Princess, who smiled at the little older puppy. "I feel a positive energy between all of us," Cadpig said brightly. "And I know we will have lots of fun together!"

Princess bent down to Cadpig's level, and Cadpig stood patiently as Princess examined her. Then she curiously nuzzled Cadpig, who gently nuzzled back. Feeling soothed, she looked from Rolly to Cadpig and then to Penny, who then said, "We also have an adoptive sister. Would you like to meet her?"

Princess nodded, allowing Rebecca to approach her. Princess stared at the dalmatian with the frilly collar and heart-shaped spots. "Hello Princess," Rebecca greeted warmly. "My name is Rebecca, and like ye, I am also new. I cometh from a place far away," she said. "But I like being here very much, and I know ye will too."

Princess nodded slowly, before she went to touch Rebecca's collar, which was surprisingly soft to Princess. As Rebecca let her touch the collar all over and even let Princess touch her unusual spots, Princess grew more and more confident.

Penny explained, "Rolly, Cadpig, Rebecca and I live in the same house with the rest of our family."

"The rest of your family?" Princess asked, thinking four puppies was plenty.

"Yes, we live with our pets, our mom and dad, and our brothers Lucky and Patch and sister Two-Tone," Penny explained.

"Lucky sometimes seems like he has a big head, but he has an even bigger heart," Cadpig explained.

"Patch is a nice guy too," Rolly added. "He loves Thunderbolt like I do food."

"And Two-Tone is very nice as well," Rebecca smiled.

"And you'll meet their parents Pongo and Perdita soon as well," CiCi explained.

"That's a big family," Princess said, half in amazement, but also in a bit of fear.

"Yes," Penny said, opting to defer mentioning all her other biological and step-siblings so as not to overwhelm her. "But we all are very close to each other. As we are to your family. Tripod lived with us for some time in the past, and we all know and love each other well, just as we will all love you."

Princess smiled a little. The prospect of meeting so many dogs had worried her, but seeing how nice Penny and her siblings were made her feel better.

"Both of our families are great friends with another family," Penny continued. "Would you like to meet some of them?"

Princess looked at her hesitantly, but the comforting looks in all three of theirs as well as CiCi's encouraging expression finally convinced her to nod.

Jim Dear and Darling's three puppies looked at each other before Annette decided to go first.

"Hi Princess, my name is Annette," she introduced, bowing and smiling. "I am a triplet, but you can recognize me for my shorter ears and blue collar. "My sister Collette is XL's girlfriend, so I'm sure you will be meeting her soon."

Princess nodded in understanding. Upon hearing that XL was in love with a pup, and one who was most likely just as nice as the pups she met so far, considerably eased her fears about him. She saw how velvety soft Annette's ears looked, so tentatively, she walked over to Annette and rubbed against them. Annette smiled as she let Princess do this, now understanding how Collette felt every time XL kneaded her ears. Princess was amazed on just how gentle all of these puppies were with her.

"Hi Princess," Angel said gently, coming around the corner. "My name's Angel. I can't wait to become your friend. I'm Annette's brother Scamp's girlfriend," Angel laughed. "He's a bit wild, but don't worry, he's just as nice as the rest of us."

Princess moved to rub herself against Angel's plushy fur, before noticing her thick, plumy tail resting on the ground. Curiously, Princess pawed at it from underneath, causing Angel's tail to go up and down.

"Hey, that tickles!" Angel giggled.

"Sorry," Princess said shyly. "Just your tail is really soft."

"Thanks!" Angel smiled. "I just know we're gonna be best of friends."

Princess smiled before Puffball went to approach her. Lying down in front of her, Puffball said, "Hi Princess, I'm Puffball! I'm Annette's sister Danielle's boyfriend. She's a little goofy, but she'll make you smile just like she does to me!"

Because he was lying down, Puffball's feathery ears dropped to the ground, so Princess petted those too as he smiled softly at her. "I know it all seems like a lot," Puffball said calmly, "But you'll find we all love each other and we'll love you!"

"Yeah!" Cadpig exclaimed. "We're all like a big family!"

"And though we're big, that doesn't mean we're any less close to each other!" Angel added.

"And you're a part of it too now, Princess," Penny added. "Just like we all are."

Princess nodded appreciatively, before Thomas and Anna arrived with their pups, and soon, Thomas and Anna took them all to a quiet part of the park, where he threw a disc for them to catch. The other pups made sure to give plenty of opportunities for Princess to get the disc, and as she brought it back to Thomas and Anna, they effusively praised her and gave her a treat. During the game, she saw that CiCi was right about XL, for he acted just like another pup. As their day was done, Princess smiled as her new friends said goodbye to her and she watched them go to their respective homes.

"How do you like them?" CiCi asked.

"They seem very nice," Princess said quietly. "Are they always that way?"

"Oh yes," CiCi smiled. "Sure, we all have good days and bad days. But Cadpig is right, we're all like a big family, and now that you live here, you're part of our family as well."

Princess smiled, and as she went back into her house, she felt considerably more comfortable. While this was still a change, she realized it was something she could get used to, and it was beginning to feel like home after all.


	11. Chapter 11

**Episode 10 - The New Pup (Part 2)**

"Morning Princess," Leo said gently. The cat was curled around the tiny puppy, acting as a living blanket for Princess through the night. At first Princess was nervous, but Leo's soothing slow, rumbling purrs, as well as the body heat he had accumulated, finally won her over, so she agreed to try sleeping by Leo's side. Leo was very careful not to move while Princess slept, and with each passing moment, she began to trust him more and more.

"Morning," Princess said back. Looking around. she saw that everyone but her, CiCi and Leo were absent. "Where is everybody?"

"Out," Leo yawned drowsily. "With the other pups."

"They'll be back soon," CiCi said calmingly.

Princess then looked at CiCi. "I have to go ... Where do I go again?"

CiCi took Princess outside, and after Princess finished, she saw two older dogs, a Scottish terrier and a bloodhound, walking down the street.

"Ms. CiCi!" Jock barked happily. "Bonnie good to see you again."

"Why yes," Trusty drawled warmly, before sniffing loudly. "Hmm ... Did my keen sense of smell catch a new scent?"

"Aye, it did," Jock said, observing the small black puppy hiding by CiCi's side, and Jock and Trusty walked over.

"My my, she's so sweet," Trusty cooed.

"Is she your bairn, Ms. CiCi?" Jock asked.

CiCi giggled and blushed a bit at what Jock had asked. "Oh no," she chuckled. "But my pets adopted her, so she's part of our family now." Then she turned to Princess. "Princess, these are your Uncles Jock and Trusty."

"Nice ... To meet you," Princess whispered.

"Aww, that name really suits you, Miss Princess," Trusty smiled.

"Have you shown her to the others yet?" Jock asked.

"Only those in our house and a few of the other pups," CiCi answered.

"Ah, I see," Jock said understandingly, but then smiled. "You know, with the pups out and about, it seems like a bonnie wee time for the rest of us adults to meet her."

"That is a nice idea," Trusty agreed. "If Ms. Princess wants to meet them."

"Well, what do you think Princess?" CiCi asked.

Princess trembled. "Are they nice?" she asked tentatively.

"Oh yes," CiCi said reassuringly. "I'm sure they'd love to meet you. They're the parents of Penny and her friends, and part of our extended family."

"Well ... Okay," Princess said shyly, and the four of them walked leisurely to Jim Dear and Darling's house.

"You may not know this lassie, but you are one very lucky puppy," Jock smiled.

"That's right," Trusty agreed. "For you get to be part of the best group of dogs I've ever tracked down."

Princess smiled uncertainly as they arrived at Jim Dear and Darling's house. CiCi went inside first to inform the others of their guest, so as not to accidentally scare Princess with their surprise. Once she did that, Jock and Trusty then went inside, and she and Princess followed them.

As Princess stepped into the kitchen, she saw that all the other dogs had gathered in a little circle. She looked at each one of them closely. Apart from Jock and Trusty, she had not seen any of them before. At first, all she could feel were the many sets of eyes upon her. But as the initial shock wore off, she began to notice that all of them were filled with warm and love. Slowly, Princess' body relaxed, and she began to feel curious about each of them.

"Hello Princess," Pongo introduced himself. "I'm your Uncle Pongo."

Pongo nodded to Perdita who promptly followed. "I am your Aunt Perdita."

"I'm Auntie Peg," Peg smiled.

"And I'm Uncle Spunky," Spunky said with a slight laugh in his voice.

"I'm Uncle Tramp," Tramp said happily.

"And I am your Aunt Lady," Lady finished. All of them had never introduced themselves as aunts or uncles before, so it sounded somewhat odd to all of them. Jock and Trusty nodded reassuring to them as Jock said, "We've already met lassie, but I am your Uncle Jock."

"And I am your Uncle Trusty," Trusty finished.

Princess worked hard to memorize each face and voice with their names before saying, "Hello Mr. P-Pongo, Ms. Perdita, Ms. Peg, Mr. Spunky, Mr. Tramp, Mr. Jock and Mr. Trusty," she said uncertainly.

"Very good," Pongo chuckled. "But you don't need to be formal with us. you can just call us by Aunt or Uncle, or with just our first names, we don't mind," Pongo said reassuringly.

"All right ... Pongo," Princess said.

Pongo smiled. "We may not be your relatives by blood," he explained, "But as far as we're concerned, we're all family here."

"Take Tripod for example," Perdita explained. "He lives with you now, but he has lived with us before he reunited with your brother. While we may live in different houses, we are never far away, and since we spend so much time together, it truly feels like we are all one big family."

"All of us are just down the road, so if you feel like dropping in, our doors are always open so you can see us whenever you wish," Peg added.

"I know this all seems like a lot, but trust me, you're gonna like all this once you get used to it," Spunky said happily.

"Yeah, with all of us, you'll have more fun and adventure than you've ever dreamed of!" Tramp added excitedly.

"You will meet everyone soon," Lady said warmly. "For now, just know that all of us will be there for you whenever you need us, and we welcome you as a part of our family."

Princess smiled at all the nice words everyone said to her. "Thank you," she said shyly.

CiCi could tell that Princess needed some time to rest. "I'll be taking Princess home now," she said.

"Goodbye everyone," Princess said, and she and CiCi left.

As they made their way home, CiCi looked to Princess. "How did you like everyone?" she asked.

Princess sighed. "Everyone seems nice," Princess said. "I just wish I could feel at peace with them."

CiCi smiled. "That will come with time, Princess," she said, stroking her as the two of them returned home.

Once they arrived, CiCi watched Princess walk around the living room before the little pup found the ball she and Penny played with and began playing with it again. As CiCi watched her chasing after the ball, she realized just how fast Princess was. She hadn't seen a pup that fast since Tripod.

CiCi found this very intriguing, for a pup who was shy and small, she was energetic and fast when playing. If Princess wasn't so shy, she could see Princess competing in races with some of the boy pups like Scamp, Tripod and Lucky.

CiCi giggled a bit at those thoughts, before her thoughts were interrupted by the dog door opening and closing. She looked to see XL, Scavenger and Tripod walking into the room, all covered in mud and dirt. She smirked before asking, "Had fun at the park today you three?"

XL got a confused look as he asked, "How did you know we were at the park?"

CiCi giggled before pointing at their fur. The three boys looked at themselves and saw all the mud on them, causing them to giggle a bit. "Guess we got carried away," Scavenger said before the three pups went to go see their pets for a bath.

CiCi chuckled at this before she heard soft giggling. To her surprise, she saw that it was Princess. "What's got you all giggly?" she asked playfully.

Princess stopped giggling a bit before answering, "One of my litter mates, Rufio, would always get into trouble, like getting dirty and running around the house." As Princess continued to remember, her giggling started to get louder. The giggling then turned to loud laughter and she fell on her side from laughing so hard. CiCi was surprised at the volume of the little pup's laughter before she chuckled at this.

"Rufio was always running around and getting dirty in the backyard, Tilly was always the one to lecture him and telling him to stop, she would get so grumpy when Rufio was so dirty," she laughed before finally calming down, enjoying her memories. "Tilly was bigger than me, but also the smallest next to me, while Rufio was the biggest of the litter," she sighed happily. "I hope they went to great families," Princess said, before she realized that she wasn't speaking so softly or quietly, rather she was talking quite clearly. This was a shock to her because she was always so soft spoken and quiet. Ever since she was born she was quiet, and she had never spoken this freely before.

"Sounds like you had good brothers and sisters Princess, I'm sure you will get to meet them again someday," CiCi said as she lay down.

Princess smiled before she went next to CiCi and lay down as well. "Yeah, I hope so too," she said before she slowly fell asleep for a nap. CiCi smiled at this as she also fell asleep.

Little did the two know, XL was listening to them behind the wall. He stayed behind because he thought Princess was laughing at him and the others, thinking she was showing her 'bully' side, but after hearing Princess explain why she was laughing and her clear voice, he looked unsure. "Is she really a good pup? Was I jumping to conclusions?" XL thought, feeling more confused than ever as he peered around the corner and saw CiCi and Princess sleeping.

He honestly didn't want to believe Princess was a bully, but then old memories started playing through his head. "Out of the way, peasant! A princess is much more important than you, you freak of nature," echoed a snobbish female voice. It made him so angry remembering that day, but he calmed down before looking at the sleeping pup again.

"I'll keep an eye on her, just in case. Please don't be like them," XL thought before going to find his pets.

* * *

The next day, Princess was walking outside with Tripod. He was taking her to meet some of the pups she hadn't met yet.

"Trust me Princess, you're going to like them," Tripod said confidently as they then saw three boy pups she hadn't met yet. Princess was immediately greeted by them. Two were dalmatians, one with a patch around his eye and the other with a pattern of horseshoe spots, and the third looked like Tramp but smaller and younger.

"Hi Princess!" Patch said first. "I'm Patch! Penny says you're a great friend. Wanna play a round of tug-a-war?"

"Sure," Princess said with a smile. Patch couldn't help but be surprised when he saw just how comfortable Princess seemed. She had come quite a way from where Penny said she was, and as they tugged on the rope together, Patch knew Princess would have no problem integrating into the family.

Scamp and Lucky then approached her. Remembering all the warnings they got about Princess, they made sure to be very gentle with her. "Hi Princess, I'm Lucky," Lucky greeted.

"And I'm Scamp!" Scamp added.

"Hi," Princess said very friendlily, actually looking at both Scamp and Lucky in turn. Both Scamp and Lucky were amazed, and were even more so when Princess asked, "Want to play a game?"

"Well, how about let's have a race down the street? There and back!" Scamp said excitedly.

"A race?" Princess asked. "Um ... Okay."

The three pups started at the edge of the sidewalk with Patch serving as the referee and Tripod watching from the side. "Ready, set ... go!" Patch exclaimed.

The three pups took off down the sidewalk. To both Lucky and Scamp's surprise, despite Princess' youth, she was lightning quick. Lucky tailed far behind and upon seeing Princess meeting him back while he was still going there, he just smiled, shook his head and walked back. Scamp managed to keep even with Princess until the end of the street, where in his haste he tripped on the sidewalk, after which he caught up with Lucky and then the two headed back together.

Princess didn't even know how fast she was going until she returned, thoroughly out of breath. She was a sprinter, so while she ran fast, she tired easily, especially since she was such a young pup.

"Nice run, Princess!" Scamp exclaimed as he and Lucky huffed in.

Princess looked back. "Sorry," she said sheepishly, realizing how far back they lagged behind.

"Are you kidding?" Lucky asked. "That was great! We had no idea you were that good! You could give Tripod a run for his kibble," Lucky teased as Princess panted.

"We'll see about that," Tripod smirked to Lucky as Princess smiled modestly. "But man Princess, I have never seen any pup as small as you be that fast before," Tripod complimented, causing Princess to blush.

Scamp then walked over to Princess. "Hey Princess, we were wondering if you would like to have a sleepover. You could get to meet the rest of us there and have a good time," he suggested.

Princess thought about it, still a little hesitant. But everyone she had met has been really great so far, making it easier for her to get out of her shy little shell. "_Maybe I should go to this sleepover,"_ she thought.

Princess then smiled and looked at Scamp. "Sure thing," she said.

"Great, it will be at our house tonight," Scamp said as he went inside his house, showing Princess which one it was.

"Bye Princess, see you!" Patch exclaimed as he and Lucky also went home.

"Come on, let's go tell the others," Tripod said as he and Princess then went home, the latter feeling excited for the sleepover.

Soon it was the afternoon. CiCi, Leo, XL, Tripod, Scavenger and Princess were walking to Jim Dear and Darling's house. Each of them was excited for the sleepover, but someone was a bit more excited. So excited that she didn't believe it herself.

Scavenger turned to Princess who was smiling brightly. "Seems like you're excited," he said to the small pup, to which Princess giggled softly a bit at this.

"Yep, everyone I met so far is really great. This is also my first sleepover, so I feel like this is gonna be great," Princess softly said.

They then made it to the door, each going through the doggy door. Princess was the last to enter, and as she did, she looked inside the house in awe. She honestly was amazed by the well-decorated and beautiful Victorian house's inside. Sure she liked her new home with Thomas and Anna and her new housemate, but this place was a sight to behold for her.

"Whoa," Princess said as she looked around the foyer, then deciding to look around the house, starting with what she assumed was the living room.

Princess walked into the living room, where the other pups were inside, while the adults were watching. Scavenger and Tripod just joined Lucky, Patch and Scamp in a ball game, Puffball was telling Rolly about his favorite snack haunts in town, and the girl puppies were happily chatting over their food bowls. She saw CiCi settling down with them, giving her an encouraging nod. Princess approached the group of puppies. She had met Penny, Cadpig, Rebecca, Annette and Angel before, but she had never seen the other three puppies before, though upon a quick sniff, she recognized one of the puppies from fur that was frequently on XL's coat and realized that this was Collette.

"Girls," CiCi said, which caught the puppies' attention.

"It's Princess!" Danielle exclaimed, to which Annette and Collette looked at her, reminding her not to be so boisterous. However, Princess was getting more and more used to the pups now and felt less frightened than ever. Seeing this, Danielle approached.

"Hi Princess! My name's Danielle and I'm so happy to meet you!" she exclaimed, and brought Princess into a hug. This surprised Princess but at the same time, like all the other pups she met, Danielle had a certain warmth to her that put her at ease.

"Hi Princess," Two-Tone walked over. "I'm Two-Tone! I've heard so much about you ... All good stuff, of course! I can't wait until we finally get to hang out! We're gonna be best of gal pals by the end of the night!"

"Well, that leaves me," Collette chuckled, primping a small mat in her ear. "I am Collette. You'll be seeing me a lot since I'm XL's girlfriend," she giggled. "But I can also be like your big sister, if you'd like," she said, starting to primp Princess' ears, which made her giggle gently.

"So you ready to party?" Danielle asked excitedly as everyone stopped what they were doing to listen.

Princess paused, but with each passing moment, she was feeling more comfortable with the group, so she nodded.

"Yay!" Two-Tone cheered, putting her front paws together in excitement. "Let's get this party started!"

So it began without a hitch. Jim Dear and Darling brought out a big trough of multiflavor kibble, complete with little bits of bacon thrown in. After dinner, Tripod and Scamp were trying to beat each other at tug of war, while XL was doing impressions of pets the runaways knew with Lucky, Patch, Scavenger, Rolly and Puffball trying to guess who he was impersonating. Princess was with the girl pups as Two-Tone was showing some fashion accessories she brought to show Princess. Princess oohed at all the sparkling jewelry and rhinestone-studded paw bands, and each of the girl pups had put on an accessory to see which fit them the best.

Then Jim Dear put on a sing-along album, to which the whole group, puppies and adults alike, began to howl along to. Princess loved this, for it really helped her feel like part of the group as they all did it together, making their big group seem much more intimate. Once Jim Dear and Darling went to bed, the puppies played hide and seek in the dark house, each puppy getting a chance to be the finder. When it was Princess' turn, each found puppy asked Princess to say their name. When she found everybody, the whole group just stayed in the kitchen and living room where all the dog beds were laid out and chattered until they were ready to go to bed. The visiting adults joined Lady, Tramp, Peg and Spunky on some long soft blankets, while the pups staying over surrounded Scamp, Annette, Collette, Danielle, Angel and Puffball in makeshift beds of spare pillows, apart from Lucky and Two-Tone, who together shared a blanket and XL, who jumped into Collette's bed. Princess yawned exhaustedly, readying herself for a good night's sleep ...

_Crash. _Princess woke up with a start. She was still sleepy so she didn't register much, but she thought it came from outside.

Outside the window was Mooch and Vendella. Mooch had crashed into a flower pot, breaking it in the process. "Great stealth there Mooch," came a sarcastic whisper.

"Hey don't blame me, blame those stupid pets for putting these here, Mooch whispered back. They then quietly peeked through the window to see the pups asleep, all except for one, the only one they didn't recognize.

"Well, what do we have here?" Vendella said as Princess got out of her makeshift bed and yawned, still tired, but curious on what the crashing noise was.

Princess walked to the window, making Vendella duck down and dragging Mooch down as well. She pushed it open and looked around outside, seeing if the noise came out from there.

"Hello?" Princess asked sleepily, trying to see if anyone was outside. Just below her, Vendella signaled Mooch to grab the pup before anyone else woke up.

However back inside, XL slowly opened his eyes, feeling a draft coming in from somewhere. Looking around from his and Collette's bed, he then saw Princess peeking out the window.

XL tilted his head in confusion and was about to ask Princess what she was doing when suddenly, from his point of view, she jumped out of the window, making him wide awake from shock.

"What the?!" XL quietly said as he went to see where she went.

As he looked out the window, he saw none other than Vendella and Mooch, and Princess was with them.

"What? Was ... Was she faking it?" XL started to think. "Was she faking everything this whole time? But she liked it here, right? If she faked it then why was she so nice? Come on!" XL said o himself as he jumped out the window, slowly following where Mooch and Vendella went. He wasn't as great of a tracker as Scavenger or Rolly or even Uncle Trusty, but he could still track.

Meanwhile in the forest, Mooch was covering Princess's muzzle with his paw. Princess was shivering and tearing up in fright at the sudden kidnapping and wanted to scream for help, but couldn't because of Mooch muzzling her.

"So why did we kidnap this brat" Mooch asked his partner in crime.

"Easy, she seems to be the new member of these fools," Vendella smirked. "If that's the case, then they will do anything to get her back when they realize she's missing, coldly looking at the small pup. "But then again, she is rather small. Maybe they won't even notice she's gone, and if they don't come for her we'll think of something else," she said, chuckling evilly with Mooch following shortly thereafter.

Princess was scared out of her mind. She was with a family, a real, loving family, and now these two strangers were taking her away from it. What was she going to do?

Meanwhile, XL was determinedly hunting down the two troublemakers as he traversed through the forest. "Princess, I swear if you are with them, you're gonna be so sorry," Xl said to himself as he walked swiftly through the forest. "And if you're like ... Them ... Then I will ... I will ..." XL said to himself, only to think again.

Princess was so nice, so shy, so scared, it reminded him of ... himself when he was first found by Thomas. "She ... she can't be like them, she just can't," XL kept saying but old memories kept flashing in his mind suggesting otherwise. He stopped though, as he suddenly heard whimpering. Focusing his hearing, XL walked carefully to the noise to find where it was coming from.

As he came across a clearing in the forest, he saw Mooch, Vendella and Princess. Looking at the small pup, he saw that she was crying quietly, curled up, trying to hide herself from the two bullies.

XL was horrified. It was because of him and his suspicions about Princess that he let her get kidnapped by Vendella and Mooch, and that those two were going to use her as a hostage so they could get revenge. "It's my fault ... I got her in this mess ... If I wasn't so suspicious, if I wasn't so stereotypical ..." As he thought this he started to get angry, baring his fangs and growling lowly. He was not going to just sit around and let Vendella and Mooch scare Princess to death. He wanted to stop this, he wanted to help her, and so out of anger, much of it at himself, he got in a running position.

Princess was crying, and while quiet, they were tears filled with fear. She had been taken from her new friends by these two dogs she barely even knew, but already she knew they were trouble just by looking at their evil expressions, Vendella's smoky scent and Mooch's spiked collar. She curled up, her paws covering her face, wanting to hide from these two dogs.

"What are we waiting for? How do we even know they'll come for this wimp?" Mooch questioned.

Vendella scoffed. "They'll come, but even if they won't, who will miss a tiny coward like her? Maybe we can just leave her in this forest, or dump her in a lake," Vendella said as she chuckled evilly. What happened next however shocked all three dogs as someone shouted, "LEAVE HER ALONE!"

Suddenly, Mooch and Vendella got headbutted by XL who ran at them full speed. He then quickly ran to Princess who had taken her paws away from her face to see XL looking to her. "Come on, we gotta go," XL said as he helped the small pup up. XL then began to lead Princess away from Mooch and Vendella, who were recovering from the sudden attack.

As they got far enough away, XL sniffed the air they were in. "I don't think they will find us," XL said. He then sighed and looked at Princess. "Princess, I'm sorry, this is all my fault," he said. Princess was confused. "Wh ... What do you mean?" Princess asked as she wiped her eyes.

XL sighed sadly as he looked at her in the eyes. "Let me tell you a story," he said as he started to tell his story.

"When CiCi, Leo, me and Scavenger used to live in the UK, we had no trouble with anyone, nobody at all. But that changed on one day. We went to the park, it was a fun place. i used to play there all the time with Scavenger. But on that day, things changed. We met two new dogs, one was named Prince Paws, and the other was named Lady Juleca, they treated anyone who didn't have 'royal' titles like them like they didn't exist or the scum of the world."

XL sighed before continuing, "When they came near us and saw Scavenger's dirty collar, they made fun of him, calling him a dirtbag, a dog who should be ashamed of himself. Then when they saw me, they called me a bunch of names I wish they didn't. A mutt, a killer, a monster ... They even said I should be put out of my misery. When they said all those things I got so mad. All I wanted to do was to make them stop making fun of me and Scavenger. I ... I wanted to hurt them. I wanted to show them that they were nothing but bullies and that they were the scum of the world, to show that dogs with 'royal' titles were nothing but uptight snobs and bullies. Ever since then, I despised dogs who had titles that made them think they were above everyone else," XL said as he started to choke up, tears starting to appear in his eyes as he looked to Princess.

"Princess, I thought you would be like them, all because of your name. I thought you were gonna bully us, make fun of us, make fun of me," XL said, to which he was slowly crying, tears fell from his eyes. "But now I see ... I was acting like them. I was judging you just by knowing one thing about you, like you were nothing but a single thing ... I thought you being shy and scared was just an act, like you were planning something behind our backs, but now I realize I was being a hypocrite. I was acting like those two bullies from before. All I saw was what I knew, not who you really are," he said as he looked away from Princess, who was shocked to hear this. He thought all this time she would be like those two dogs from his past, because of her name.

"I was stupid to ever think you would be like them! To ever think a sweet and young pup who was making friends would be a spoiled dog who thought highly of herself," XL said as he cried, tears falling from his eyes onto the ground. "You must hate me for thinking that don't you? I deserve it ... For letting of this happen to you, for ever thinking that ..." But before XL could finish, he suddenly felt something wrap around him, he looked to see Princess hugging him.

He was very shocked at this as he saw tears in her eyes. "D-Don't say that! I would never hate you! You just wanted to protect your friends and family! You h-had a bad experience and didn't want it to happen again," she said, more clearly and loudly than her usual quiet voice. "I understand why my name might bring bad memories for you, but I promise I won't be like those snobby dogs. I just want to make friends ... I just want to have a family," she said as she hugged him. XL's eyes widened, still shocked, for he was expecting to be yelled at in anger, not being comforted by the pup he thought wrongly of.

He then slowly smiled as he turned around and hugged her back, letting the small pup nuzzle into him. They only stopped letting tears fall and stopped hugging when suddenly they heard paw steps. XL looked around and spotted shadows coming near them.

"You sure you heard them?" he heard Vendella say. XL tensed up, then turned to Princess, who got nervous when she heard Vendella. XL motioned Princess for her to follow him, as he slowly led her away from where Vendella and Mooch were coming from.

XL and Princess then hid inside a bush as Mooch and Vendella came into view, Mooch growling loudly in anger.

"Ugh, where is that pest? Nobody gets away with headbutting me!" Mooch yelled angrily as he looked around.

XL was trying to think of a way out of this while at the same time keeping Princess safe. It was at times like these he wished the wolves from the Runaways' last adventure were around in the area to help them.

When XL thought about the wolves, he got an idea. Turning to Princess, he whispered, "Stay quiet. I'm going to try something," to which Princess just nods, hoping her friend will help them escape.

XL then started to let out some howls, trying to make them sound like a wolf's howl. When he did that, Mooch and Vendella froze up.

"Is ... Is that what I think it is?" Mooch asked, almost scared of what the howling could mean.

"I ... I don't know," Vendella said, equally scared, thinking it could be the wolves who had helped those pups out from the wild dogs. She turned to her partner before saying, "L-let's go, the brats are probably wolf chow anyway."

They then quickly made their way out of the forest, which left XL and Princess to sigh in relief as they came out of their hiding place.

Princess turned to XL. "How did you do that?" she asked.

XL smirked in pride as he said, "I'm kinda self taught in impressions."

After that, XL walked with Princess back home so they could finally rest after that whole fiasco.

When they made it back home, XL led Princess to her bed, to which the little pup snuggled into the pillow. But before she fell asleep, she looked to XL.

"XL ... Thank you for telling me that story ... I promise I will never be like those bullies," Princess said before finally falling asleep.

XL smiled gently as he made his way to Collette's bed and laying down, he closed his eyes before saying one last thing, "I know Princess ... I know." He then fell asleep, finally at peace with his his new housemate and clear of any bad feelings for her.

The next morning, XL had told everyone of what happened last night. They were all very interested in the story and had great feedback.

"Aww, why couldn't I come?" Danielle asked.

"Yeah, that would have been a blast!" Scamp agreed.

"Well none of us can play the hero on every adventure can we?" Angel teased.

"Yes, let us just be thankful that nothing bad happened to Princess and Mooch and Vendella got some appropriate karma," Cadpig smirked.

"I can just imagine them now," Lucky added as everyone laughed.

Then Jim Dear brought out his camera. "I think we should get another photo shoot, what do you think Darling?"

"Yes, Roger and Anita and Thomas and Anna would like it very much," Darling agreed.

By now the others were used to photos, so they assembled into their positions quickly, but made sure that Princess had the front and center seat. Three different photos were taken - the first a formal picture, the second where all the canines were in a begging position, and a third a spontaneous photo with everyone enjoying each other's company.

Soon Jim Dear went to have the photos produced and copied, and Thomas and Anna hung them on the living room wall in their home. And many times thereafter, Princess went to look at the photos. "I really am part of a great family," Princess thought to herself, and her heart warmed, ready for another day filled with friendship and love.


End file.
